alt Hacker NewsJust to be clear, a pardon does not expunge or erase one's criminal record.
> life in prison was too harsh, but a full pardon is too lenient.
I think you should compare it as: life in prison was too harsh, but 10 years is too lenient.
Just to be clear, a pardon does not expunge or erase one's criminal record.
> life in prison was too harsh, but a full pardon is too lenient.
I think you should compare it as: life in prison was too harsh, but 10 years is too lenient.
The idea of a pardon is exactly that: it erases the record of the crime/conviction.
I think you are thinking of a commutation. That ends the punishment while not absolving the person of the crime.
So the January 6th criminals who got pardons no longer have a criminal record (on this count at least). The 14 people who were only granted commutations are still counted as felons.