News Archive
Professor Watson Discusses Pardon Process for Story in 'Indiana Lawyer'
12/18/2017
Professor Fran Watson, '80, talked about the gubernatorial pardon process for a story that was published in Indiana Lawyer on December 13. The story noted that Governor Eric Holcomb issued twice the number of pardons in one day than the previous administration in four years.
Professor Watson said in the story that concerns over the political fallout of issuing pardons may factor into decisions whether to grant them. “Politics as it is, you don’t want the headline that says the person you gave the break to messed up again,” she said. “If you give a pardon, commute a sentence, give somebody a break, the last thing you want is for that person to make headlines doing more bad acts,” which could have negative political implications. “It’s the same thing with a judge letting somebody out on bond.”
Professor Watson is the founding director of the Wrongful Conviction Clinic at IU McKinney. She is a clinical professor of law and teaches in the Criminal Defense Clinic and the Wrongful Conviction Clinic.
