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Thousands Sought Pardons or Commutations from Bush, but Few Were Fortunate
It is not unusual to see an increase in requests for pardons in the waning days of a presidential administration. President Clinton, for example, received 1,827 petitions during his final year in office. However, with harsh mandatory minimums, tough sentencing guidelines and the abolition of parole for federal prisoners, former …
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More from this issue:
- Economic Crisis Prompts Prison Closures Nationwide, but Savings (and Reforms) are Elusive, by David Reutter
- Illinois Governor Bases Prison Closure Decision on Politics, by Derick Limberg
- Pennsylvania Prison Crowding, Parole Crisis Result in New Laws, Parole Suspension, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prisons Flush Drugs, Contaminate Water Supply, by Mark Wilson
- Prisoner Self Care: Hypertension, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Releasing The Disease: Is Overcrowded Cook County Jail Responsible For The Rise Of MRSA On The Outside?, by Kelly Virella
- Illinois Guards Protest Prison’s Failure to Treat Scabies Outbreak
- Court Monitor Criticized Care to Michigan Dialysis Treatment Afforded Prisoners, by David Reutter
- California Class-Action Suit Reinstates $1.5 Million Illegally Siphoned From County Jail Inmate Welfare Fund, by John Dannenberg
- California Juvenile Parolees Entitled to Two-Step Revocation Process; Case Settles, by John Dannenberg
- Texas Prison Authority OK’s Illegal Use of Prison Labor, but PIE Contract Not Renewed, by Gary Hunter
- California Female Parole Supervisor Awarded $859,000 for Gender Discrimination by Female Superior
- Let Freedom Ring: A Collection of Documents from the Movements to Free U.S. Political Prisoners, by Matt Meyer, by Ian Head
- Minnesota Sex Offenders’ Requisite Disclosure in Treatment Can Violate Fifth Amendment
- BJS Report Finds 53% of Prisoners Are Parents, by Mark Wilson
- BJS Report Reveals Parole Supervision Characteristics, by Mark Wilson
- CA Supreme Court Capitulates, Rewrites "Unworkable" 2005 Dannenberg Lifer Judicial Parole Review Standards
- Federal Prisoner’s §2241 Petition Dismissed for Non-Exhaustion; Prisoner Sought Sentence Reduction for Revealing Weapons
- This Valentine’s Lingerie Is Brought to You By the Prison Industrial Complex, by Beth Schwartzapfel
- Numerous Prison Systems Sign Up for Free Christian TV Programming, by Matthew Clarke
- Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Procedures Found Lacking, by David Reutter
- Colorado: When Suing Private Prison under Common Law Tort, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Not Required
- Bureau of Justice Report on Sexual Violence in Juvenile Prisons, by Gary Hunter
- BOP Amends Policy On Shackling Of Pregnant Prisoners
- Thousands Sought Pardons or Commutations from Bush, but Few Were Fortunate, by Brandon Sample
- Indiana Law Requiring Former Prisoners to Consent to Search and Monitoring of Their Computers Held Unconstitutional, by Brandon Sample
- $7.5 Million Fine Recommended in Florida Jail Phone Overcharges, by David Reutter
- California: Restitution Fine Unlawful for Accessory to Murder
- Elected Judges More Punitive Just Before Elections, by Gary Hunter
- Pennsylvania Contractor Prohibited from Using State and Federal Funds for Religious Purposes, by Bob Williams
- $100,000 Settlement In Death of Diabetic California Prisoner
- Missouri Prisoner Wins $25,000 in Police Excessive Force Case; Attorney Fees Limited to $37,500 by PLRA
- Felony Disenfranchisement Reforms Restore Voting Rights to 760,000, by Mark Wilson
- Texas, New Jersey Prison Staff Prosecuted for Cell Phone Smuggling
- North Carolina Audit Finds Deficiencies in 
State-Funded Youth Programs, by Derick Limberg
- Oregon Prison Chief’s Pay Raise Revoked; He Must Survive on Only $14,500 a Month, by Brandon Sample
- Taliban Break 870 Prisoners Out of Afghan Prison
- Imprisoned Connecticut Politician Gets Special Privileges, by Matthew Clarke
- Conditions on Federal Death Row “Horrendous,” ACLU Finds, by Brandon Sample
- Cornell Defrauded of $13 Million in Prison Construction Scam
- Suit Filed Over Minnesota Jail’s Secret Recording of Privileged Phone Calls, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona DOC Deporting Prisoners to Save Money, by Gary Hunter
- North Carolina DOC Pays $750,000 for Sex Between Guard and Female Prisoner
- News in Brief:
- $1.5 Million Settlement for CA Jail Prisoner’s Broken Leg
More from Brandon Sample:
- Q&A: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel: Which Errors Are Worth Pursuing?, April 12, 2019
- Guilty Plea Does Not Foreclose Challenge To Constitutionality Of Conviction, U.S. Supreme Court Decides, April 19, 2018
- U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Habeas Relief Citing AEDPA Deference, Dec. 19, 2017
- Maryland Ban on Prisoner's Book Rescinded, Aug. 23, 2016
- Former BOP Guard Convicted In Murder-For-Hire Scheme, Aug. 22, 2016
- Second BOP Guard Convicted In Assault-For-Hire, Aug. 22, 2016
- BOP Dentist Gets Slap On The Wrist for Sex Abuse, Aug. 22, 2016
- Cook County Jail Agrees to Improvements, April 15, 2013
- No More Than 20 Percent Can Be Deducted To Pay Filing Fees, April 15, 2013
- Heck Does Not Apply to Released Prisoner Seeking Damages for Sentence Miscalculation, April 15, 2013
More from these topics:
- SCOTUS Announces Sentencing Reform Act Does Not Authorize Automatic Extension of Supervised Release When Defendant Absconds, Resolving Circuit Split, April 1, 2026. Sentencing, Revocation/Modification of Probation, etc., Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
- Federal Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Are Facing Retaliation by Trump, Feb. 1, 2026. Transfers, Pardons/Clemency, Death Row, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- Eighth Circuit Announces Presidential Commutation Does Not Moot Challenge to Underlying Sentence, Jan. 1, 2026. Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Qualifying Offenses, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- Oklahoma Prisoner Found Unconscious in Cell Hours After Avoiding Execution, Dec. 1, 2025. Public Defenders, Pardons/Clemency, Life without Parole (LWOP), Death Penalty, Effective Assistance of Counsel.
- Ex-Wife of Minnesota DOC Commissioner Sentenced for Poisoning Attempt on Son, Dec. 1, 2025. Out of State Transfers, Sentencing, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Confessions and Statements of Defendant, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- Missouri Blocks Spiritual Advisors from Prison Pastor’s Execution, Nov. 1, 2025. Pardons/Clemency, Death Penalty, Lethal Injection Method of Execution, Religious Freedom/Worship, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
- SCOTUS Overturns Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death Sentence After More than 25 Years on Death Row, Nov. 1, 2025. Ex Post Facto, Good Time, Wrongful Conviction, Habeas Corpus, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA), Specific Offenses, Controlled Substances, Weapons, Accuracy of Information, Depraved Indifference Murder, Evidence - Circumstantial, Theft, Failure to Disclose, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, New Trial - Motions for, Pleas Linked to Cooperation, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of, Selective Prosecution/Enforcement, Improper Comments, Official Report, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence, Exculpatory Evidence - Disclosure Obligations.
- DOJ Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Texas Juvenile Detention, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Sentencing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Protect (Juveniles), Juvenile Prisons.
- Former Prisoner Informant Appointed Deputy Director of BOP, July 15, 2025. Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Informants, War on Drugs, Pardons/Clemency, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Trading Guns for Drugs.
- Trump Pardons Virginia Sheriff Convicted of a Bribes-for-Badges Scheme, July 15, 2025. Misconduct/Corruption, Pardons/Clemency, Bribery/Extortion/Theft.

