Pennsylvania’s Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General are all “on the record” (for years) as supporting the legalization of marijuana. We’ve been discussing a “global pardon” of marijuana-related crimes with the Board of Pardons since early 2019. That October, they announced the “accelerated review” program which promised hearings within a year of pardon applications for “non-violent marijuana-specific” cases.

How have they done? The BOP reports they have received just 670 applications in almost three years, and that less than half of those (329) have been processed and sent on the Governor.

Out of how many? The Administrative Office of the PA Courts reports that there have been 18,739 convictions over almost the same 3-year period that would qualify for the BOP’s “accelerated review” – and a simply astonishing (and terribly discouraging) 270,663 qualifying charges filed by PA prosecutors over the past ten years, when the rest of the nation has been heading in the opposite direction, towards legalization.

Drug convictions keep individuals, their families and our whole society chained to the past – a past that includes clear evidence of racial bias in origins and enforcement. “Accelerated review” of individual applications carefully investigated has proven to be no answer. That’s why, earlier this month, PLSE filed a statewide petition asking the Governor to grant a “general pardon.”  With one signature, and no cost, he could release the potential of tens if not hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who weren’t hurting anyone with their “possession, use or distribution.”

While the President of the US has used this power lots of times – remember Jimmy Carter pardoning the Vietnam draft dodgers? – this would be a first in PA.

This is OUR moonshot. There is plenty of time for it to happen. Governor Wolf doesn’t leave office until January…. Stay tuned….

So where does the Petition stand? Limbo. The Governor’s lawyers say there are “constitutional and regulatory hurdles” to a general pardon. What’s surprising about that?!? This would be a first-ever. And what would the Gov do if he were back leading his family lumber business and saw an absolutely huge opportunity? Duh! He’d tell his lawyers to jump to it and figure out a way to get it done … and they would!

His lawyers’ recommendation these days? Keep holding individual hearings. Wha -- Really?!?!? The Board only meets 3x/year and at this next session (August 2-3), they will only be hearing 81 pardon applicants TOTAL. 81! That number should be truly embarrassing – to the Board, to the Governor, and to the General Counsel – and it’s surely proof that the current system does not work.

It only takes three (of the 5) Board of Pardons members to recommend a pardon to the Gov. The Lt Gov and the AG are two of those three . . . . so where, exactly, is the problem? If there isn’t a better response soon, we’ll begin a letter-writing campaign. Two clicks, enter your name and address, and the letter will be in all the right emailboxes. Then share the URL with your family, friends, colleagues, co-workers . . .

Be ready, get set, to click when we issue the call!

In December, we reported (“United Way Leads The Way Again!”) that we had been awarded a major grant by the United Way and the City of Philadelphia to greatly expand our criminal record clearing services in Philadelphia, as part of what they were calling “The Promise”. Ten days ago – after a few, smaller clinics that were test runs – we delivered one of the largest Community Clinics in our history! Hosted by the City’s Office of Reentry Partnerships and held at the Community College of Philadelphia’s Northwest Regional Center on Godfrey Avenue, more than 150 Philadelphians pre-registered and stopped by to talk with us about how their pasts were holding them back from their futures. 115 are now our clients, as we help them clean up their criminal records through expungements and pardons. Researchers from Promise partner Drexel University were on hand to interview the attendees, which will lead to better understanding of our communities’ needs.

WAY more than just information and hope were provided: participants described the intake volunteers as “selfless”, “kind”, “patient”, “friendly” and “warm”. A couple survey participants indicated their interaction with a PLSE intake volunteer was the most dignified and helpful conversation they’d ever had regarding their record. And there’s the Promise of the Promise: giving dignity, respect and restored self-definitions.

The excitement and the demand is overwhelming. We need volunteers to help with intakes. If YOU are willing to help keep the Promise of a more just society, contact us! The training is short, the schedule flexible, the locations many, the service rewarding, the benefits truly immense.

Pardon Project Director Tobey Oxholm has been taking his show on the road lately. He’s visited the Pardon Projects in six counties (Centre, Somerset, Washington, Allegheny [pictured], Beaver, and Erie). At the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania State Association of Prothonotaries and Clerks of Court [pictured] in Canonsburg, PA on June 22, he presented a program on pardons with six of their members; and on July 11 in Bedford, PA, he met with over 40 DA’s at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, to encourage their involvement in Pardon Projects. En route, he attended a Pardon Project brainstorming session with court and civic leaders in the historic Somerset County Court House [pictured], presented a Pardon Coach training sessions at the Mercy Center for Women in Erie, and finally got to meet three Pardon Fellows in person! 

What results?

Not bad for five days!

By the time you read this, they’ll be almost out the door, returning to the peaceful pace of law school. But since May, we’ve been blessed to have three simply outstanding 1Ls with us (pictured left to right): Lillie Julius (Temple), Eleanor Carpenter (Temple) and Caity Rogowski (Villanova). They’ve prepared over 1,000 expungement petitions, attended almost a dozen community clinics, researched a variety of legal issues, counseled clients, gone to court, participated in our weekly team meetings, answered phone calls, proselytized their classmates … not to mention helped to keep smiles on our faces and renewed our energy! In one of their last projects, they collaborated to create proposed legislation requested by the Reentry Committee of the PA Workforce Development Board that would shield employers from claims of liability for having hired someone with a criminal record – immunity – the MUCH more incentivizing flip-side to the liability-threatening “ban-the-box” laws.

PLSE ED Renee Chenault Fattah was honored to be asked to interview two very accomplished business executives turned authors as part of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s speakers series: Patience Marime-Ball, founder of the Women of the World Endowment, and Ruth Shaber MD, founder of the Tara Health Foundation .Their book The XX Edge: Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk demonstrates that gender-inclusive teams consistently produce materially higher returns on investments – for a variety of reasons – and that women should be at the center of making investment decisions (eg, investment managers and hedge funds) not merely their beneficiaries. Click here to listen to the one-hour podcast.