Readout of Pardon Attorney’s Outreach Efforts During Second Chance Month

During the month of April, which is recognized as Second Chance month, the Office of the Pardon Attorney hosted a number of events to highlight opportunities for both currently incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. On Monday, April 22, and Tuesday, April 23, Pardon Attorney Elizabeth G. Oyer and staff members of the Office of the Pardon Attorney held a series of meetings and trainings in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) as part of the department's initiative to increase the accessibility and transparency of the clemency process through education and community engagement. In 2023, the Office met with over 1,800 people in Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities to provide information about applying for clemency.

On Monday, Pardon Attorney staff visited FCI Danbury, a low security co-ed institution. The Pardon Attorney's team met with over 200 inmates and staff during their visit. The team provided a series of educational sessions about the federal clemency process and answered questions from inmates and staff.

On Tuesday, the Pardon Attorney and members of her team met with over 1,100 incarcerated people and staff throughout the Yazoo City Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Yazoo City, Mississippi. The Pardon Attorney and her team conducted educational sessions at all three of the institutions in the FCC - Low I, Low II and Medium. Staff attended a session at the training center for FBOP employees and then visited each of the institutions with the Pardon team.

Following the Yazoo City visit, Pardon Attorney Oyer and her staff traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, to meet with Judge Carlton Reeves, U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi, Federal Public Defender Omodare Jupiter and U.S. Probation Officer Mark Quarles. During the meeting, U.S. Attorney Gee shared the critical steps his office has taken to expedite the review of cases and improve the clemency process.

"Collaboration among stakeholders in the criminal justice system is essential to ensuring a well-functioning clemency process," said Pardon Attorney Oyer. "Our visits to the Federal Bureau of Prisons have allowed us to provide thousands of incarcerated people with the knowledge and tools to utilize the clemency application process effectively. We have also educated hundreds of FBOP staff about the important role they can play in the process. Direct outreach and engagement with those in prison is essential to promoting public confidence in the clemency process."

The visits to FCI Danbury and Yazoo City FCC were the sixth and seventh in a series of quarterly educational events that the Pardon Attorney is conducting for incarcerated people and staff at different FBOP locations.

April is recognized as Second Chance Month which helps to educate and highlight the resources available to those who are leaving incarceration. This April, the Office of the Pardon Attorney hosted its second annual "Celebration of Second Chances." Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Pardon Attorney Oyer and other Justice Department officials delivered remarks highlighting the Justice Department's support for second chances. The Justice Department is committed year-round to improving opportunities for rehabilitation and redemption and reforming and streamlining the clemency process. In December 2023, the department released a fact sheet detailing the actions taken to improve transparency, accessibility, efficiency and public engagement. Recent improvements include simplification of clemency forms to ensure that they are easy to understand and to use. The Office is also taking steps to reduce processing times and close long-pending petitions. As Deputy Attorney General Monaco noted in her remarks, the Office has reviewed approximately 12,000 clemency applications during the last two years. The department continues to engage with and educate the public on the clemency process.