Some Question Mitt Romney's Refusal to Grant Pardons

Mitt Romney had a policy when he was governor, one that made modern Massachusetts history among governors. During his term, he never once granted a pardon, a power bestowed among state governors and of the President of the United States.

During his term, 100 requests for communications came to his attention along with 172 requests for pardons. He turned down each and every one, no exception. And the reason why? He never wanted to overturn a jury, as reported by the Associated Press.

Said an aide of Romney's, Eric Fehrnstrom, "Governor Romney's view is that it would take a compelling set of circumstances to set aside the punishment and guilt resulting from a criminal trial... the power to pardon should only be used in extraordinary circumstances."

It was reported in an Associated Press article that Eric Ferrnstrom, when commenting about Romney's policy, was not aware of the case of Anthony Circosta, a man that many think has more than proven his worthiness of a pardon.

Circosta, at 13, shot another boy in the arm with a BB gun. He didn't even break skin. For that, Circosta was convicted of assault. Since the conviction, Circosta has worked his way through college, then joined the Army National Guard and has become a decorated Iraq war veteran, leading a platoon of 20 through the Sunni triangle. Romney refused the request for Circosta's pardon twice, even against the suggestion of the state's Board of Pardons.

Circosta, now 29, dreams of becoming a police officer, a dream that cannot be realized without the pardon. Circosta says, "I've done everything I can to give back to my state and my community and my country and to get brushed aside is very frustrating...I'm not some shlub off the street."

Former Massachusetts Governor, Republican William Weld, commuted the sentence of Joseph Yandle, a man who had spent 23 years in prison for murder. Two years later, Yandle was returned to prison. Weld had commuted his sentence because he had claimed that during the Vietnam War, he had become addicted to heroin, which led him to commit his crimes. Yandle was returned to prison when it became known that he had never served in the Vietnam War.

Some agree with Romney's policy. A political science professor from Tufts University, Jeffrey Berry, is one. "You could pardon or commute a sentence, the person could go out and commit another crime...behind every decision whether or not to pardon or commute looms the shadow of Willie Horton. So it's a risk...on the other hand, the rewards of pardoning or commuting a sentence is pretty marginal. You might make one family happy and everyone else doesn't care," he said.

Sources:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070612/ap_on_el_pr/romney_pardons

See a Letter to Romney Requesting a Pardon: http://www.stopbadtherapy.com/letters/romney.html