A pardon is a legally-binding declaration that absolves a convicted individual of a crime they committed against the state of Nevada. It is handed down by the state’s Pardon Board, a committee that includes the Governor, the Attorney-General, and the Justices of the Supreme Court. With a pardon, a convicted person is automatically freed from prison and can begin the slow process of recovering their life prior to their incarceration.
This legal process offers a number of benefits that can affect a formerly-convicted individual either immediately or in the long run. Let’s look at four benefits of getting a pardon in Las Vegas.
Regaining Your Rights
Criminal Convictions invalidate most civil rights that a person may have. These include the right to vote, to serve in a jury, to hold public office, to gain employment, and to own a firearm, among other things. A pardon allows the defendant to regain some of these rights lost, rebuilding a semblance of their pre-conviction life. Not all effects are instantaneous, however; the right to hold public office only returns at least four years after the pardon, for instance.
Not all pardoned individuals can recover these rights immediately, however. Those facing category A felonies (or category B felonies that involved force and harm) or those who committed multiple felonies may have to appeal to the court that sentenced them with the crime. Pardoning also does not preclude sexual offenders from requiring to register.
Returning Job Opportunities
As stated in the previous section, conviction removes a person’s right to get a job. Convictions can affect everyone from entry-level laborers to high-end executives. A pardon allows the defendant to seek employment once again. Employers may require a person to attach a photocopy of their pardon orders to their application documents before being hired.
There are instances where a pardon does not equal an immediate return to being good to hire. Potential employers may mark off a pardoned individual if their moral character is still not up to snuff after the pardon. Certain professional boards may also deny the reinstatement of a person’s professional license after getting a pardon.
Witness Rights
A person with a prior criminal conviction is often a liability as a witness. The opposing lawyer may attack a person’s previous sentences to discredit their viability as a defense or prosecution witness, for example. A pardon invalidates any attempts to use their conviction to invalidate their witness testimony in a court of law. Note that this is also on a case-by-case basis; a court may throw out a pardoned person’s testimony depending on the circumstances.
Relief for Immigrants
Serious criminal offenses are oftentimes legal grounds to deport an immigrant. If the crime does not involve extradition to the immigrant’s home country, they can be sent back before or after their sentence is complete. Receiving a pardon gives the offending immigrant a better chance to avoid deportation and stay in the country. Note that it says ‘a chance to avoid deportation’; a pardon does not mean the immigrant will not be thrown out for other circumstances related to the crime. For example, the crime may reveal that the immigrant poses a domestic danger to the community even after they have been pardoned.
A legal pardon opens a lot of opportunities for a formerly-convicted individual to go back to their former lives. However, they also have their own drawbacks that may have to be addressed by other means.