A barbershop owner, church deacon and former board member of the McKeesport Business Authority has received a pardon from Gov. Tom Wolf for felony drug charges in 1993.
Corry Sanders made headlines in 2016 after winning an election to a McKeesport City Council seat. Due to his criminal record and a state law prohibiting convicted felons from holding office, he was unable to serve.
His pardon, more than four years in the works due to a yearslong backlog, is long overdue.
Pennsylvania’s clemency laws require a majority vote from a five-member pardon board — unanimous for sentences of death or life-imprisonment — before sending a commutation to the governor, who has final authority. Since Lt. Gov. John Fetterman took the reins as pardon board chairman from a predecessor who called the system “broken,” the process showed signs of speeding up, but the COVID-19 pandemic erased that momentum. Early in September, the pardons board held virtual hearings for the first time, which Mr. Fetterman has expressed reluctancy to do, as appearing in person is the strongest way to present a case.
Looking more broadly, Wolf’s administration has increased the number of cases reviewed from about 300-400 per year on average to 400-500 on average, and more in recent years. The number of pardons granted has also increased under his watch and, given the governor’s hopes of legalizing recreational marijuana use, he’s been proactive in pardoning residents convicted of minor pot-related offenses under an expedited program.
Sanders, who served his time and turned his life around, is a perfect example of why the system must improve faster. He’s a role model to youth and a staunch community figure; what more could he have done if he’d been allowed to serve on council or if the pardoning process hadn’t taken four years to expunge his record?
The pardoning process must remain thorough and serious, but Wolf and Fetterman have demonstrated goodwill in beginning to speed up the process.
These are lives that must not fall through the cracks. Sanders deserves his fresh start.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
