People change. Even people in prison change. They especially change when they have been inside for 20, 30, or even 40 years. That is why we give Presidents and Governors their Pardon Power. But, since 2013, Iowa governors have refused to use that power. Iowa governors have rejected around 300 straight applications for clemency. The Iowa executive clemency system is broken, and Wendel proposes a two-pronged solution.
Andrew A. Wendel, A False Beacon of Hope: How Iowa’s Executive Clemency System is Broken and What the Iowa Legislature Must Do to Fix It, 27 J. Gender, Race & Just. 543 (2024).