Ohio Governor’s Expedited Pardon Project
- Do you have an Ohio criminal record that is holding you back from employment, occupational licensing, housing, volunteer work?
- Are you tired that your decades-old Ohio convictions continue to haunt you and impact your life?
- A pardon could be the answer, even for someone who is unable to have their criminal record sealed/expunged.
If you are convicted of a crime, the legal consequences can impact you for the rest of your life. A pardon can help remove these consequences.
What is a pardon?
A pardon by the governor of Ohio “relieves the person to whom it is granted of all disabilities arising out of the conviction or convictions from which it is granted.” R.C. 2967.04. It can:
- Help you get a job.
- Restore your ability to act as a juror.
- Restore your ability to hold public office.
- Restore your ability to legally possess a firearm.
- Restore your ability to volunteer in certain settings.
- Affirm the positive changes you have made in your life.
However, a pardon does not seal your crime. If you receive a full pardon in Ohio, you will not be able to seal that record if you were ineligible or that offense was ineligible for record sealing. Contact the Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office to more fully discuss record sealing or “expungement.”
Expedited Pardon Project
Normally, a pardon may take several years and only a small percentage of traditional pardons are granted. However, the Ohio Governor’s Expedited Pardon Project allows qualifying applicants to bypass the waitlist for pardon consideration, with the wait time being months instead of years.
The link below will take interested persons to the website for the Project which contains information on who is a qualifying applicant (no criminal conviction in last 10 years with certain offenses not being eligible for the Expedited Project); how and where to apply; the forms necessary for applicants; and information on obtaining a BCI criminal background check which is mandatory and must be included.