Public Hearing Information

• Public hearings are held in Harrisburg at the State Capitol in the Supreme Court, Room 437 on the 4th Floor.   Please do not go to the address where the Board of Pardons office is located.

• You will be allowed into the Courtroom approximately 20 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the hearing. 

• You must check in with the Board of Pardons staff in the waiting area outside of the Courtroom. 

• We will provide you with an agenda that shows the order in which the hearings will be conducted. 

• Once the session begins, Lt. Governor Fetterman will provide opening remarks.
   
• When your name is called, you will proceed to the podium at the front of the courtroom and begin by stating your name.
   
• After you introduce yourself, Lt. Governor Fetterman, will turn it over to the rest of the Board for questions they may have.  In some cases, given the relatively straight forward nature of the crimes and the fact that they occurred some time ago, a hearing may go very quickly.  We do wish to confirm that extensive preparation for the session has been done by each member of the Board prior to the hearing. 
  
• We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the contents of your Application for Clemency. 
  
• You may invite individuals in support of your application to attend the hearing with you; however, due to time constraints, it is the desire of this Board that they express their support in writing and submit it to the Board of Pardons office at least one week prior to the hearing.  They may stand with you to show their support during your hearing.
  
• If you are represented by counsel, you must begin your presentation by addressing the Board and responding to the Board's questions.  If counsel wishes to add anything relevant to your presentation or to summarize, counsel may request permission to speak following your presentation and responses to any questions by the Board.
  
• A public vote will be taken at the conclusion of all the hearings and the following are the possible outcomes:

1. Application Recommended – The Board is recommending to Governor Wolf that clemency be granted to you.  In order to receive a recommendation to the Governor, you need to receive three (3) affirmative votes from the Board.

2. Application Denied – A recommendation for clemency will not be granted at this time.
   

3. Held Under Advisement - In some cases, a Board Member may make a motion to Hold a Case Under Advisement.  If the motion is seconded, a vote will be taken to hold the case under advisement until a future time.  This could be done for various reasons if the Board is not prepared to vote on a case.  You will be advised if we need additional information from you.
   

4. Conditional Recommendation – In some cases, a Board Member may make a motion to recommend an application to the Governor but make it conditional.  If the motion is seconded, a vote will be taken to add conditional language to the recommendation to the Governor.  If the Governor grants you clemency and it is later determined that you committed a probation or parole violation or have been convicted of a new criminal offense, the grant of clemency may be rendered null and void by the Governor.You are not required to stay for the public vote, and you will be notified in writing of the results of the public vote regarding your Application for Clemency.

• The ultimate decision to accept or reject the Recommendation of the Board is solely at the discretion of the Governor; in addition, the Governor is not required to act on a recommendation within a specific period.  You will receive written notification from the Board of Pardons office once a decision has been made.