WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderExpert likes how Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has handled clemency
By Dani Maxwell
ROCKFORD (WREX) - Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said he would address the backlog of clemency applications by the end of this year. Now that it's over, one expert says he's doing pretty well. Quinn was left with literally thousands of applications that previous administrations never even looked at. We're not talking about violent criminals, but people who maybe got probation or a little jail time, and want it wiped from their record so they don't have a hard time finding a job or voting. P.S. Ruckman is a professor at Rock Valley College and a nationally known expert on pardons. He says Quinn's made a good effort. "I think his last round was 133 or so pardons and that's a lot. That's about as many as I've seen from any governor in the state in 2009."
Quinn hasn't backtracked and still maintains clemency applications will be a priority for him.
