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Board signals unwillingness to approve pardons for sex crimes
March 30, 2004

The pardons board, which consists of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Attorney General Mike Hatch and Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz, instructed staff to inform people inquiring about pardons for those offenses that they will in all likelihood be denied. (MPR Photo/Laura McCallum)

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) People convicted of sex crimes or child abuse will have little chance of getting the state Pardons Board to purge their records even if the offenses are decades old, the board's three members signaled Tuesday.

The board, which consists of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Attorney General Mike Hatch and Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz, instructed staff to inform people inquiring about pardons for those offenses that they will in all likelihood be denied.

That was the case for three pardon seekers who came before the board Tuesday.

One man, who was convicted in the mid-1980s of second-degree criminal sexual misconduct when he was 21 years old, told the board he has reformed his life and become a positive contributor to his community. An attorney, a pastor and two sisters vouched for him.

Although he was impressed by the man's gains, Hatch said he didn't want to set a precedent of wiping such an offense from the public record. Even old sex crimes can be used to enhance penalties of repeat offenders, he noted.

"I don't think I could ever vote for a pardon on this particular crime," the attorney general said.

Blatz and Pawlenty made similar comments before issuing the directive to staff.

A pardon extraordinary nullifies a conviction and absolves the offender of responsibility to disclose it except in court or in efforts to be licensed as a police officer.

In all, the board denied four pardon requests; two involved sex crimes, one for a child neglect charge and another in a domestic abuse case. Five were approved; they involved welfare fraud, burglary and giving false information to a police officer.

The latter case pertained to a man who lied to police about his name after being caught drinking while underage and in college. The crime is making it difficult for him to become licensed to sell securities as a financial planner.

Hatch's move to grant the pardon provided one of the few light moments in a sobering two-hour meeting. He alluded to the arrest of two of his daughters - ages 21 and 22 - last weekend outside a Chicago night club.

"This is hardly the week for me to be reviewing pardons on issues like this," Hatch said.

But, he added, "These are young people, they need a break. The penalties are far greater than they ever imagined."

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