ILLINOIS PRISONER REVIEW
BOARD
GUIDELINES FOR EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY
Note #1. No petition will be accepted for review within one year of the date of the denial of a prior petition on behalf of the same individual. The Chairman of the Board may permit an exception to this limitation for compelling reasons.
Note #2. A clemency petition may be withheld from the soonest available docket if any essential relevant information from other sources has not been received by the Board, even if a complete petition has been filed according to the directions herein.
A) The petition. Executive Clemency is requested by means of a typewritten petition. It must be a narrative or essay, that is, written in complete sentences. Fill-in-the-blanks formats are not acceptable. The petition must contain all of the following or it will be rejected and returned:
1) Regarding the convictions for which clemency is being sought: State the offenses, counties of conviction, case numbers, sentences imposed, dates sentenced, time served and dates of discharge. State whether convictions were the result of jury verdicts, bench trials or guilty pleas. Give the status of any pending court appeals.
2) State the name under which petitioner was convicted, any aliases, the social security number, and the state prisoner number, if applicable. Declare whether the petitioner previously asked for executive clemency for any conviction and, if so, the month and year in which it was considered.
3) A detailed statement of the facts of the offenses, including dates, places and all surrounding circumstances. This should include petitioner’s version of the offenses.
4) Provide complete criminal history. This is to include every instance in which the petitioner was arrested for or charged with any offense in any jurisdiction, except for minor traffic violations, and the disposition of each criminal charge (whether it resulted in a conviction and sentence or some other determination). Provide a statement of the facts surrounding any conviction.
5) Provide a personal life history, a narrative biography. It must include date and place of birth, educational history, employment history, marital status and whether the petitioner did or did not serve in the military.
6) Give the reasons for seeking clemency and the type desired (commutation of sentence, pardon, expungement or reprieve).
7) Supporting materials. Claims made within the petition should be supported by documentation, for example, a DD 214 or similar proof of military service.
8) The petition must include the following: “I declare under penalty of perjury that all of the assertions made in this petition are complete, truthful and accurate.” This statement must be signed and sworn to before a notary public by the petitioner.
Note: Perjury is a class 3 felony which is punishable by imprisonment
for up to 10 years.
THE PETITION MUST CONTAIN THE PETITIONER’S CURRENT MAILING ADDRESS WITHIN THE PETITION ITSELF, NOT MERELY ON THE MAILING ENVELOPE.
B) Filing of petition.
1) Address the petition to the Governor, but mail or deliver the original and three copies of the petition to: Illinois Prisoner Review Board, 319 East Madison, Suite A, Springfield, IL 62701.
2) The completed petition, as described in (A) above, must be received at the Board office at least 75 days prior to the first date of the public hearing in order to be considered on that docket.
3) A copy of the petition must be delivered or mailed to each of the following:
a) The sentencing judge, or the chief judge of the circuit, if the sentencing judge is no longer on the bench.
b) The current State’s Attorney of the county of conviction. If Cook County is the county of conviction, address the copy to Cook County State’s Attorney, Room 11D38, 2650 South California Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60608.
4) Proof that the parties in paragraph (3) above were sent copies of the petition must be demonstrated to the Board, either by affidavit of by registered or certified mail receipt. This proof must accompany the completed petition.
c) Public Hearing. Petitioners, their supporters and any opponents may appear in person, unless currently incarcerated, at a public hearing scheduled by the Board, if they have requested to do so in their petition. Representatives of imprisoned petitioners may request to speak to the Board at a public hearing, but a personal appearance is not required for the processing of a petition for executive clemency.
1) In order to obtain an appointment to appear at public hearing,
a request must be made in writing at the time the petition is
filed. The names and addresses of any witnesses who wish to provide
testimony must be provided with the request.
2) Personal presentations at the public hearing are limited to 20 minutes. No more than four persons may speak during any presentation. Testimony is informal.
3) The recommendation to the Governor by the Board is confidential by law. The Board is not permitted under law to disclose it to anyone other than the Governor or his staff.
