ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Gov. Kathy Hochul granted clemency to 22 people on December 19, with one sentence commuted and the rest pardoned. She has granted clemency to 94 people in total since taking office in 2021.
The pardons targeted those who’d lived crime-free for over a decade—sometimes multiple decades. Hochul’s office said she focused on individuals who showed that they were rehabilitated, dedicated to bettering themselves and their communities, and remorseful.
Indeed, at a press conference on December 18, a reporter asked Hochul whether she’d consider pardoning incoming Pres. Donald Trump for his hush money conviction. “There is a pardoning process,” she replied. “It requires a couple of elements. One is remorse.”
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The pardons aimed to address problems—like being blacklisted from jobs or housing—lingering after having completing their sentences. Some of the individuals granted clemency still had to deal with issues stemming from past convictions even after moving out of state.