A letter of clemency is a letter written as an apology to the court or the President or the Governor of the State. The purpose of the letter is to ask the judiciary to show mercy on a person convicted of a crime and why he should be granted mercy.
In this post are some How to write a clemency letter tips, clemency letter examples and clemency letter for inmates samples.
Following are some tips to help you on how to draft a clemency letter:
- Introduce yourself, your relationship with the convicted person and the purpose of you writing this letter. Mention the name of the convicted person, the crime they were convicted of and the sections charged on them.
- Mention reasons as to why the convicted person should be shown mercy either by reducing the term of the sentence or commuting the term. Include as many fair reasons as you can like- Is the convicted person the sole breadwinner of the family? Are their parents or children that the convicted person has to provide care for? Mention all the reasons you seem are important.
- Talk about how the person is and how they accept and apologize for the crime they have committed and how there is an intent and will to change in that person. You can mention facts and incidents from the past that help the judiciary to understand the kind of person they are.
- Mention if the convicted person or any of their family members are affected and diagnosed with any medical condition and their medications. Include the doctor’s details they are under the medication of.
- Present a proper and genuine plea that may help the convicted person.
- At last, apologize to the court and hold the convicted responsible for the crime while mentioning about how important it is for the court to reduce or terminate the term of the sentence.
- Do not say in your letter anything against the law and the justice system that might be offensive. Make sure to only write statements that see things in positive light.
Clemency Letter Example, Sample Format
This post is an example of a clemency letter that can be used a template.
Greetings
Justice Clare Joe
My name is Darry Paige and I write this letter to ask you to consider my plea for a commute of the sentence of my son, Cain Paige.
Cain was convicted of theft and illicit dealing of medical supplies and sentenced for a term of fifteen years.
Our family has four members including me, my wife, Cain and his daughter, Spencer. He is the bread earner of the family and the three of us are dependent on him for everything. Spencer is just a nine year old child and needs the support and nurture of a parent. Her mother passed away at the time of her delivery and since then, Cain has been fulfilling his role as both, a father and a mother.
Cain is a good person at heart and is willing to accept his mistake and change himself for good. I apologize for his conduct, on his behalf. He deserves the retribution for his actions and he will fulfill that by being a good community member.
Spencer is undergoing therapy for her mental health concerns and it is getting difficult for us to manage both the financial needs of the house and Spencer’s medical treatment.
I request a second chance for Cain’s life, not for him but for Spencer and us. On his behalf, I beg your pardon and promise that he will come out as a better human and community member.
I hope you consider this letter of clemency and reduce or commute Cain’s term of sentence.
Yours sincerely
Darry Paige
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