Jackson Free Press

In a Washington Post op-ed published today, Haley Barbour defended clemency pleas he granted in the waning hours of his governorship. He said that the ensuing controversy stemmed from people not knowing the difference between clemency and letting people out of jail.

"People thought — incorrectly — that I had let 215 prisoners out of jail because the secretary of state reported that many people received clemency," he wrote.

In fact, he only released 26 prisoners from custody, he said. What's more, according to his math, that's only 0.0012 of the more than 80,000 people who are doing time in state prisons or are on probation or parole.

"About 95 percent of the clemencies I approved were recommended by our state parole board, and I accepted the parole board's recommendations about 95 percent of the time," Barbour wrote.

He reiterated previous claims that he simply followed the long-held tradition of pardoning inmates who work in the governor's mansion, most of whom were convicted of "crimes of passion" such as murder but are no longer dangerous to society, and that as a Christian, he believes in second chances.

But s we pointed out earlier in the week, this is a departure from Barbour's stance for much of his time as governor. In his 2007 State of the State to the Legislature, he sang a much different refrain.

"This year I ask you to do three more things: To pass laws that lengthen the mandatory prison sentence for committing a felony with a gun, and to lengthen the prison sentence for a felon possessing a gun. These changes will give prosecutors better tools to punish criminals who use guns to commit crimes, and they will not violate the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms," he told lawmakers five years ago.

Previous Comments

ID

165794

Comment

And again with the "crimes of passion" thing: "Historically, most of the inmates sent to the mansion, known in Mississippi as trusties, have been murderers, convicted of crimes of passion. Experts agree that these inmates are the least likely to commit another crime and the most likely to serve out their sentences well. My experience has been that this view is correct. ... "The criteria the Corrections Department uses to select the prisoners who work at the mansion narrows the pool to those convicted of terrible crimes, almost always crimes of passion. "These crimes must be punished, but these offenders are not hard-core, cold-blooded criminals. ... "The mansion inmates I fully released are not threats to society. They have paid the price for their crimes, having served an average of 20 years’ imprisonment."

Author

lizwaibel

Date

2012-01-19T15:18:53-06:00

ID

165795

Comment

Would it also be entirely too snarky and Calvinistic of me to point out that the Christian belief in redemption is based on God's unmerited favor, and not being on your best behavior at the Gov's mansion?

Author

lizwaibel

Date

2012-01-19T15:21:26-06:00

ID

165797

Comment

I don't think he knows what "crimes of passion" means. ...and if he thinks these guys are no longer a threat, just ask their next girlfriend or wife. These cowards may not be a threat to me, but they are a threat. Barbour doesn't think domestic violence is a big deal.

Author

Tre

Date

2012-01-19T20:13:34-06:00

ID

165798

Comment

"These crimes must be punished, but these offenders are not hard-core, cold-blooded criminals. ... WHAT THE HELL!?! Did he not read these men's files?! These were premeditated, cold-blooded murders. He's lost his mind.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2012-01-19T22:08:42-06:00