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Pardoning Standards
Any time the President wishes to exercise his or her executive clemency, the cases are directed to the Office of the Pardon Attorney for review.

There are five standards for someone to be considered to be pardoned. Generally, the person in question must be in a good standing during their sentence and the petitioner must wait a period of at least 5 years before applying to pardon.

The first standard is how the persons conduct, character, and reputation have been during conviction. This means that the individuals conducted themselves as responsible and knowledgeable people who are aware of their crime and are ready to return to normal society. They must have the potential to create a better society by achieving employment, providing for themselves and loved ones, as well as keeping a clean criminal background. A very recent example of this would be when President Donald Trump pardoned 63 year old Alice Marie Johnson after the case was brought up by celebrity Kim Kardashian. The White House described their reasoning for the pardon by stating “while this administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance".

Second is the seriousness and when the offense occurred. When the offense is years in the past and didn't affect many people, the chance to achieve a pardon is much greater than if the offense was very recent and a high crime. Things that must be put into consideration are how the victims would deal with the pardon, and how it will set the precedence for future similar crimes. During his presidency, President Barrack Obama managed to grant a total of 1,715 clemencies. Most of these were for nonviolent drug offenders, in an effort to get non-serious offenders out of prison and to reverse the negative outcomes from the War on Drugs.

Third is the individual's acceptance of responsibility and self-awareness of how serious their actions were. The individual's behavior, if they are creating excuses or reasons why they committed the crime, will greatly lower the chances of pardon. If the individual desires forgiveness and portrays complete responsibility for their actions, then the chances are much higher. Generally, every person who is considered for a pardon exudes these behaviors.

Fourth is the legal disabilities the individual suffered from the conviction. Someone like a lawyer or doctor may have lost their licenses as a result of their crime. This may grant reason to consider a pardon. Though pardons for this type of relief are minimal and very rare, they will not be put at a higher priority over an otherwise deserving person who has a desire for forgiveness. An example of this would be when President Andrew Johnson pardoned Dr. Samuel Mudd in 1869. Dr. Mudd was imprisoned because he treated John Wilkes Booth’s leg after Booth assassinated President Lincoln in 1865. This crime wasn't a very serious crime, considering Dr. Mudd claimed he wasn't aware of Booth's actions at the time and he was doing what his profession entailed. The pardon also set precedence for laws that have to do with medical ethics that we have in place today.

Lastly, the referrals and recommendations from people in powerful positions like politicians, attorneys, judges, and even victims are looked over carefully to decide if an individual is worthy of a pardon. A very controversial example of this is when President Bill Clinton pardoned his brother, Roger Clinton Jr. for cocaine possession and trafficking convictions. President Clinton used his position as President to recommend his brother as a deserving recipient of a pardon.