Seeking A Pardon: One Man's Journey To Get His Life Back

September 17, 2020 by Ted J. Sherwood

For the last three decades, Jim* has been racked with a singular kind of anxiety known only to ex-felons.

Since his conviction for a felony Drug Offense in the early 90’s, he had done everything he was supposed to do. He started a successful business. He had a family. He was a completely different person. Despite his success, he was still haunted by his conviction.

He couldn’t take his three sons hunting because he wasn’t allowed to own a firearm. He couldn’t vote. He worried constantly about what business associates would think if they found out about his past. He even worried that he would be shunned by the other parents at his sons’ school if they ever found out. He never thought that he would break free - until he called us.

Since taking office, Governor Stitt has made criminal justice reform a priority and has issued thousands of pardons and commutations - far more than any other Governor in State history. There has never been a better time to apply for a pardon or commutation. We applied for a pardon on Jim’s behalf in order to restore his rights and release him from the burden his past conviction had caused.

Yesterday, the Pardon and Parole Board recommended a complete pardon for Jim on his first application. With the Governor’s approval, he can finally close the book on his past conviction, and focus on the things that define him today: his family and his business.

Do you need help with a conviction?

If you or a loved one been convicted of a crime, the Tulsa Expungement Guy can help you navigate these historic new opportunities for reform relief:

• Pardon - It can restore your right to possess a firearm, serve on a jury, become a police officer, vote and hold office, or obtain a liquor license. A pardon can also make you eligible for openly carrying a firearm in Oklahoma.
• Expungement - Seals your arrest record from public view. That means it’s not viewable or discoverable when criminal background checks are conducted by potential employers, universities, lenders, and landlords.
• Commutation - This measure grants mercy for a sentence that is later considered excessive or unjust. A commutation can take the form of release from prison, becoming paroled before a prison term is completed, or receiving a reduction in the number of years remaining.

We’ve helped hundreds of people move on with their lives from past bad decisions. An initial evaluation is always free.

*Certain details of this story - including names - have been changed in order to protect the identity of those involved