Louisiana-Pardon

The governor may not grant a pardon without the affirmative recommendation of the parole board.  Eligibility begins after completion of sentence, plus payment of costs.  Public hearings held at regular intervals, with approval of 4/5 board members required.  Prosecutor and victims must be notified by board and applicant must publish notice in newspaper.  Full pardon restores “status of innocence,” and may not be used as predicate or to enhance sentence.  Statutory first offender pardon automatically restores civil rights, and as of 2019 is grounds for expungement, but it does not restore firearms rights or preclude use of a conviction in subsequent prosecution or sentencing.  Pardoning has become frequent and regular under the current governor (John Bel Edwards), who issued 167 pardons in his first term, reviving a process that had languished under his predecessor.