The most common types of clemency are pardons and commutations.
To be eligible for a pardon:
You must have been convicted of a crime in a Minnesota state court.
This includes felonies and misdemeanors.
If the charges were dismissed or you were never convicted, there is no crime to pardon.
Juvenile delinquency and petty misdemeanors are not considered crimes so you cannot apply for a pardon for these offenses.
It must be at least five years since the expiration or discharge date of the sentence. If five years have not passed, you may request to waive of the initial five-year waiting period.
You must not have been denied a pardon or commutation within the past five years. If five years have not passed since your most recent clemency request, you must request to reapply early.
To be eligible for a commutation:
You must have been convicted of a crime in a Minnesota state court and your sentence must be active. This includes someone who is currently:
in jail or prison,
on probation, supervised release, or another type of post-conviction supervision
It must be at least five years since the date of conviction, or you must have served at least one-half of the sentence. You are eligible to apply when the first of these dates has passed. If you can show there is a special need or unusual circumstances, you may apply for a waiver of the waiting period.
Yes, you can ask for clemency on more than one conviction. Each conviction you apply for must be eligible. If a conviction does not meet the time requirements, you must ask for a waiver of the waiting period.
