Snyder makes final determinations on commutations and pardons

Gov. Rick Snyder has completed his review and recommendations for commutations and pardons for those convicted of a crime in Michigan and has decided to grant 61 requests for clemency.

The governor’s executive clemency authority is derived from Section 14 of Article V of the Michigan Constitution of 1963, which provides that the governor shall have power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons after convictions for all offenses, except cases of impeachment.

A commutation is defined as the reduction of an individual’s sentence and does not nullify the underlying conviction, while a pardon erases a conviction from an individual’s record. All applications for pardons and commutations must be filed with the Michigan Parole Board. More than 4,000 applications have been received by the board since Gov. Snyder took office, which were then reviewed for merit. Those applications determined by the board to have merit were then sent to the governor’s office.

Gov. Snyder and his legal staff along with the Michigan Parole Board and the state Department of Corrections evaluated applications. Gov. Snyder has approved 61 of those recommendations.

“I appreciate the great work done by the state Department of Corrections and by the Michigan Parole Board in the processing of the applications and in the recommendations they provided,” Snyder said. “I understand the importance and impact my decisions have, which is why I took great time and care in making my decisions.”

The pardons and commutations were granted Friday.

Pardon recipients: Donald Almond; Terrilyn Aquino; Todd Austin; Nicole Bessel; Kevin Botta; Susan Bottone; Clinton Bower; Cynthia Brown; Ather Butris; Rebecca Goode; Peterson Haak; Alexander “Sandy” Harrington; Michael Hatchett; Mary Ann Henderson; Keith Hewitt; Randolph Hull; Jason Ibrahim; James Jagger; Tracy Jones-MacDonough; Nicholas King; Laura Kramer; Rebecca McDermont; Danielle Moore; Jennifer Moss; Dr. Lakasz Rafal Niec; Michael Tominello; Sarah Thomas; Michael Williams; Thomas VanPelt; Brian Syzdek; Haydar Butris; Usama Hamama; Alaa Toma; Atheer Gappi; and Bashar Yousif.
Commutation recipients: Frank Anderson; Charles Calloway; Melissa Chapman; Rafael DeJesus; Demetrius Favors; Orlando Flowers; John Gentry; Antonio Gonzalez; Phyllis Hammond; Donald Harris; John Harris; James Hicks; James Hill; Abner Hines; Michael Lee; Prudencio Loyrafuls; Othel Lofties; Thomas Morris; Silas Salyers; Kenneth Smith; Larry Smith; Leonard Stewart; John Topie; Patricia Trevino; Michael White; and Daryl Woods.