Pardons Project

The Pardons Project, a restorative justice project of Delaware Pacem in Terris in collaboration with the Delaware Center for Justice, works to eradicate civil barriers to reintegration of ex-prisoners into society by empowering and preparing them to represent themselves before the Board of Pardons. Most of the people who come to the Pardons Project have already begun the process of rehabilitating themselves through counseling, further education, and service to the community. The objectives of the Pardons Project are to advocate for people who have completed their sentences, to prevent their recidivism, to encourage their political participation, and to do outreach about the project to neighborhood community groups. Those who have received their pardons through the project often return to the group to recruit and mentor others seeking their pardons. Receiving a pardon through the efforts of the Pardons Project enables former prisoners to obtain their personal goals of getting better jobs, exercising the right to vote, having access to public housing, obtaining professional education, and participating in volunteer work. 

The Pardons Project helps people pro bono with the complicated and often overwhelming process of obtaining a pardon. This process includes obtaining their criminal background records and court dockets. Pardons Project team members working collaboratively with the pardon-seekers prepare the necessary cover sheets, histories of offenses and pardon applications; send the required notification to the Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Safety, and the police departments and courts involved in their convictions; and mail to the Board of Pardons six copies of their packets, complete with any certificates of achievement, character references, psychological evaluations, etc. Members of the Pardons Project team give moral support to the pardon-seekers at monthly support meetings and also accompany them to the hearings before the Board of Pardons. Widener Law School is providing volunteer law students to aid the team of staff, volunteers and a participating volunteer attorney who gives legal advice. A handbook put together by the Pardons Project called “Civic Redemption” is used as a guide. Many of those who have been helped to gain a pardon speak of feeling personally transformed by the hope and process of getting a societal stamp of approval, and return to the monthly meetings to encourage others.

There are regular monthy support meetings on certain Mondays held at 7:00 p.m. at the Delaware Center for Justice at 100 West 10^th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. For more information, call (302) 984-2660 or (302) 656-2721.

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