I know there's a an official term, I just can't remember it. And google's not much help either. It would be if someone had been put to death by the state, and then pardoned after the government re-investigated and realised they weren't guilty after all.
And - what would be the point of that?! Why do they do it? Is it for the sake of the victim's family?
2006-12-04 22:33:43 · 2 answers · asked by Tipsy Dipsy 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
It could be a stay of execution, which is usually temporary.
There could be a commutation of the death sentence to a term of imprisonment, usually life.
And, there could actually be a full pardon and let the prisoner free.
Often, the stay is because there is a chance that the court will overturn the penalty or even the conviction - so it is to let the courts do their job.
The commutation is to stop the execution - it could be for any of a number of reasons - the Governor of Illinois a few years ago commuted every death sentence in that state to life.
The pardon is when the prisoner didn't do it, or the trial was so unfair that there is no way the prisoner got a fair trial, or the sentence is ridiculous, or any one of a number of reasons.
Rarely does the victim's family have much to do with it. These are executive decisions, sometimes political,
2006-12-05 06:32:41 · answer #1 · answered by Tanya D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Post-mortem pardon? That the best I can think of. Considering all that's left once you're gone are your progeny and your legacy, a post-mortem pardon helps to repair a significant part of what remains.
2006-12-06 04:24:53 · answer #2 · answered by Phil 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋