Pardon Project Looks to Make ‘Second Chances a Reality’ for Centre County Residents with Criminal Convictions

A new organization announced on Friday is helping Centre County residents who have served their sentences for criminal convictions get a second chance at life’s opportunities.

The Pardon Project of Centre County is a coalition of lawyers, county officials, community agencies and resident volunteers working to help individuals through the state Board of Pardons process.

“When folks think ‘well they just want to get somebody who’s convicted of a crime off,’ it’s not that simple,” state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, said during a press conference in front of the State College Municipal Building. “I’ve had the opportunity to actually sit in on the process… It takes a lot of work and they’re filtered through to make sure these individuals are those that are deserving of it. And they are.”

Individuals with criminal convictions can be denied licenses, loans, admissions to college programs, jobs and other opportunities. A pardon is usually the only way to erase a conviction and prevent being further penalized for having a criminal record.

There is no cost to apply for a pardon, but the tiered process requires numerous court documents that aren’t always easily accessible. It also requires a paper application, which Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who chairs the Board of Pardons, is aiming to change with a new online system by the end of the year.

The Pardon Project of Centre County, one of eight of its kind in Pennsylvania, is working to make the process easier for local residents. The organization helps eligible individuals with the application and trains “pardon coaches” to help them make their best case.

“You do not have to be a lawyer because a board of pardons is not a legal process,” said co-founder Gopal Balachandran, an assistant professor and clinic director at Penn State Law and State College borough councilman. “Essentially it’s an act of grace from the Board of Pardons and the governor’s office. What we attempt to do in pardon applications is to enable individuals to tell their stories in the most effective way.”

Applicants first have to go through an interview process to determine if they will even get a hearing. The success rate with that is about 67%, Balachandran said, but for those who are granted a hearing before the five-member board, more than 80% are successful.

Gov. Tom Wolf has pardoned nearly 2,000 people during his tenure. But in Centre County, only tens of people out of 3,000 convictions apply for pardons each year, according to project co-founder and Penn State adjunct law professor Sharon Barney.

“There’s obviously a huge need there and a huge population that would qualify that we want to work with,” Barney said.

April is Second Chances Month, and Celeste Trust, secretary of the Board of Pardons, said second chances benefit the entire community.

“Second chances matter to everyone,” she said. “They’re good for everyone. … It’s an economic development tool and we need to be looking at second chances not just as benefiting people who have criminal convictions, but benefiting all of us.”

Balachandran added that people who receive pardons are able to contribute more to their communities.

“People who get pardons are able to give back to their communities; they are able to get higher paying jobs and they are able to get jobs that they are right now barred from getting as a result of their criminal records,” he said.

Krista Henry is pardon fellow for the project, overseeing applications and the training of coaches. She spoke about the personal meaning of a pardon.

Struggles with substance abuse as a teen led to a criminal record and time behind bars, she said. She has subsequently worked on reentry and recovery programs for formerly incarcerated individuals, and she knows well the many barriers to education and good jobs people with criminal convictions encounter.

“For a person like myself, to receive a pardon it would be absolutely life changing, and I’m not a special case,” Henry said. “There are many others who deserve a real second chance. I strongly believe that people who have demonstrated that they have changed their life and are contributing members of our community should have an opportunity to close that dark chapter for good.

“We look forward to making second chances a reality for as many people as possible with the Pardon Project of Centre County.”

To be eligible for assistance from the project, individuals must work or reside in Centre County, have household income at or below 250% of federal poverty level, be three years removed from the completion of their sentence (10 years for certain violent crimes, for which admission is handled on a case-by-case basis) and have no open criminal prosecution. Those with a record based on alcohol or substance use also must have at least three years of sobriety.

For more information about the Pardon Project of Centre County, visit the project’s website.