Gov. Kathy Hochul granted pardons to 19 formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, according to WETM, but prison reform advocates quickly criticized the decision because no current inmates received sentence commutations. The pardons went to people who had completed their sentences and, in many cases, stayed crime-free for decades.
Hochul’s office said an independent advisory panel reviews clemency applications and looks for signs of rehabilitation and remorse. The latest action raises Hochul’s total clemency grants to 139 since taking office, while more than 1,100 commutation requests reportedly remain pending statewide.
Advocates pushed for releases ahead of Mother’s Day, especially for incarcerated women and older inmates. Reform groups also pointed to rising prison deaths and called for broader parole changes to reduce New York’s aging prison population.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.