Who should have the authority to issue pardons?

[greenforest32]

http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/governors-balance-pardons-with-politics-85899449577

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[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

The justice system and the poitical system should be seperated, thus pardons should obviously not be in the hands of a governor or president.

[opebo]

I would like to see the President retain this power, but also create a board to do it additionally.  The more opportunities for pardon the better.

[Supersonic]

I think pardon powers are inherently undemocratic, so, 'other', in that I want them uniformly abolished.

[7,052,770]

Probably some kind of board of intellectuals, but if I ever became governor of Mississippi, I would issue blanket pardons to the majority of people in jail on Day 1.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The executive, though having some oversight board that'd have to approve them isn't a bad idea.

But if I were Governor of Minnesota, I'd pardon every single person every convicted under any law I disagree with/disapprove of.

[Supersonic]

The executive, though having some oversight board that'd have to approve them isn't a bad idea.

But if I were Governor of Minnesota, I'd pardon every single person every convicted under any law I disagree with/disapprove of.

Probably some kind of board of intellectuals, but if I ever became governor of Mississippi, I would issue blanket pardons to the majority of people in jail on Day 1.

This is why the pardon system needs to be abolished wholesale.

[7,052,770]

The executive, though having some oversight board that'd have to approve them isn't a bad idea.

But if I were Governor of Minnesota, I'd pardon every single person every convicted under any law I disagree with/disapprove of.

Probably some kind of board of intellectuals, but if I ever became governor of Mississippi, I would issue blanket pardons to the majority of people in jail on Day 1.

This is why the pardon system needs to be abolished wholesale.

So you agree with giving cocaine users (not dealers) decades in prison? You agree with locking up marijuana users at all?

[Supersonic]

The executive, though having some oversight board that'd have to approve them isn't a bad idea.

But if I were Governor of Minnesota, I'd pardon every single person every convicted under any law I disagree with/disapprove of.

Probably some kind of board of intellectuals, but if I ever became governor of Mississippi, I would issue blanket pardons to the majority of people in jail on Day 1.

This is why the pardon system needs to be abolished wholesale.

So you agree with giving cocaine users (not dealers) decades in prison? You agree with locking up marijuana users at all?

Yes. Of course I do. The law is the law.

[TNF]

Perhaps a review board that weeds out some of the more frivolous requests and sends the bulk on to the executive for personal review?

Personally I agree with Harry and BRTD though. Were I Governor of Kentucky, I think I'd issue blanket amnesty to nonviolent drug offenders on the condition that they enroll in rehab (if applicable. I'd just let all of the nonviolent pot offenders out, no questions asked)

[7,052,770]

The executive, though having some oversight board that'd have to approve them isn't a bad idea.

But if I were Governor of Minnesota, I'd pardon every single person every convicted under any law I disagree with/disapprove of.

Probably some kind of board of intellectuals, but if I ever became governor of Mississippi, I would issue blanket pardons to the majority of people in jail on Day 1.

This is why the pardon system needs to be abolished wholesale.

So you agree with giving cocaine users (not dealers) decades in prison? You agree with locking up marijuana users at all?

Yes. Of course I do. The law is the law.

Usually judges have a lot of leeway in sentencing, so some pot users get a fine, and some get years in prison.  Some cocaine possessors get a few months, some get a few decades.
Even if you somehow think locking up nonviolent drug users is a good idea, there's no way anyone can justify the arbitrary and inconsistent punishments.  As governor, I would set every non-violent criminal and spin it as being fiscally conservative, calling anyone who opposed me a tax-and-spend socialist.

[Supersonic]

The executive, though having some oversight board that'd have to approve them isn't a bad idea.

But if I were Governor of Minnesota, I'd pardon every single person every convicted under any law I disagree with/disapprove of.

Probably some kind of board of intellectuals, but if I ever became governor of Mississippi, I would issue blanket pardons to the majority of people in jail on Day 1.

This is why the pardon system needs to be abolished wholesale.

So you agree with giving cocaine users (not dealers) decades in prison? You agree with locking up marijuana users at all?

Yes. Of course I do. The law is the law.

Usually judges have a lot of leeway in sentencing, so some pot users get a fine, and some get years in prison.  Some cocaine possessors get a few months, some get a few decades.
Even if you somehow think locking up nonviolent drug users is a good idea, there's no way anyone can justify the arbitrary and inconsistent punishments.  As governor, I would set every non-violent criminal and spin it as being fiscally conservative, calling anyone who opposed me a tax-and-spend socialist.

Why not have the legislature pass a law changing the sentencing rules and/or providing retroactive pardons that way? It's more the unaccountable power that is a problem to me, rather than how it's applied.