Pennsylvania governor tops state record of pardons granted
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf gestures as he speaks at a reception for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in Philadelphia on October 28, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has issued more than twice the amount of pardons granted by any of his predecessors, with at least a quarter of them targeting non-violent marijuana offenses, his administration announced Thursday.
Wolf, a Democrat, signed his final 369 pardons this week, for a total of 2,540 since he took office in 2015. He surpassed Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s record of 1,122 granted pardons.
Of the pardons, 395 were part of the expedited review process for nonviolent marijuana-related offenses. Another 232 were part of the PA Marijuana Pardon Project, which accepted applications through the month of September.
"I have taken this process very seriously — reviewing and giving careful thought to each and every one of these 2,540 pardons and the lives they will impact," Wolf said in a statement. "Every single one of the Pennsylvanians who made it through the process truly deserves their second chance, and it’s been my honor to grant it."
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A pardon grants total forgiveness of the related criminal conviction and allows for expungement.