Let's start with the editorials and commentary in this post; news coverage, in the next.
Today's Jackson Clarion-Ledger carries the editorial, "Pardons: 'Divine' right trumps victims?"
In his way out the door of the Governor's Mansion, Haley Barbour caused a firestorm of citizen anger by pardoning more than 200 convicted felons.
Barbour seems to have underestimated the amount of citizen ire this decision would cause. It's puzzling on several fronts. For example, as Attorney General Jim Hood noted in temporarily blocking the pardons in court, the Mississippi Constitution may have been ignored by failing to publish 30-days notice about the pardons.
Also, some of these pardons were poorly vetted, for crimes that are still fresh and even premeditated crimes that cannot be simply dismissed as crimes of "passion."
They appear not well researched, which runs against Barbour's history as governor. He has never been so sloppy. Nor in two full terms has he been so insensitive to the politics of a situation.
The Mobile Press-Register editorial is, "Barbour's action was hasty, imprudent and offensive."
Whatever a state's constitution allows, though, usually gives critics little recourse.
That being said, it's going to be up to Mississippi voters to decide whether they are willing to continue to trust their governors with this power. Some politicians are already talking about pushing for a constitutional amendment to change the system, which would need a vote of the people.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood was right to press for a halt to further releases, which a judge granted Thursday. All 200-plus pardons demand a thorough airing. If some warrants were pushed through hurriedly and did not provide sufficient notice, they need to be addressed.
But in the long run, Mississippi's going to have to live with what the law allows -- or act to change it.
Former White House speechwriter Mary Kate Cary writes, "Haley Barbour Was Right to Issue Those Pardons."
Back in the 1990s, I wrote many speeches for Gov. Haley Barbour when he was the head of the Republican National Committee. Now he's finishing his second term as governor of Mississippi and had a lot of people urging him to run for president this year. When you write a lot of speeches for someone, you get to know that person pretty well. Haley Barbour is an honorable, decent man. He's compassionate and treats the people who work for him well. He's also a lawyer, and is one of the smartest people I know in politics.
And:
While I don't know the facts of these cases, nor am I a lawyer, I suspect there's a lot more to the story when it comes to these pardons. As Barbour's office pointed out, the vast majority of those whom he pardoned had already served their full sentences, and his pardons were based on the recommendations of the parole board. I'd bet that at least a few of them were convicted under questionable circumstances, and may or may not have had the benefit of DNA evidence when they were originally tried. I'm sure the governor has seen, as the rest of us have, the increasingly unjust nature of our court system these days. Is there anyone who thinks our criminal justice system isn't tough enough?
Haley Barbour is a smart, humane man. He understands the need for mercy and compassion in our criminal justice system. He's done nothing wrong.
At ABC News, Huma Khan posts, "Pardon Me: Is Southern Custom Behind Haley Barbour’s Clemencies?"
Four prisoners pardoned by Barbour last Friday worked at the mansion he resided in for eight years. All are convicted murderers.
Mississippi is one of the few states where the “trusty” system is still thriving. Under that system, well-behaved prisoners are allowed to clean, work in the kitchen, wait tables and wash cars at the governor’s mansion, no matter what their crime was.
Proponents say the system helps cut state costs and allows prisoners to put their time to use. North Carolina has a similar program that uses inmates for upkeep of a part of the governor’s residence. South Carolina did the same, but ended its program in 2001 after inmates were found to be having sex in the governor’s residence.
Barbour told The Associated Press in 2008 that it was customary for Mississippi governors to cut short the sentences of inmates who served at the mansion, a tradition that dates back generations. At the time, he faced similar backlash for releasing trusty Michael David Graham, who served 19 years of his life sentence for killing his ex-wife. Graham walked free after working eight years in the governor’s mansion.
The tradition of having inmates work at the governor’s resident is unique to the South, observers say, and is partially inspired by the states’ religious history. Even nationally, the pardoning system, from the state to the federal level, is rooted in some ways in the Judeo-Christian tradition, said P.S. Ruckman, Jr., a professor of political science at Rock Valley College in Illinois, who is writing a book on pardons.
Pardon Power is Ruckman's blog that focuses on clemency issues. Additional news coverage in the next post.
Earlier coverage of the Mississippi pardons begins at the link. Related posts are in the clemency index.
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