Pathways to Pardons program changes lives

For Ashley Potts, a woman in recovery, it’s a life-changing experience to be considered for a pardon. She wants others across the commonwealth to take advantage of the same opportunity through a new state program called Pathways to Pardons, or P2P, which will be introduced to West Chester at an event on March 30.

A young, courageous woman, Ashley has told her story to many groups around the commonwealth; she was living with the disease of substance use disorder, and became a convict to support her addiction, leading to her criminal conviction as a felon. She said living with a criminal record results in significant barriers.

“Once you become a convicted felon in society, you become marginalized,” she said. “You may not be able to get a job, go to school, work in certain occupations that require licensure, live in rental property, or buy a house – your every move forward is dictated.

“You get pigeonholed in a hamster wheel and can’t get off it,” said Ashley. “The story is the same: You get out of jail, can’t find a job, can’t pay your fines, and knowing you can get picked up on a warrant for not paying your fines, commit a crime to get some money. It’s no surprise there is such a recidivism rate – it’s like the movie Groundhog Day, where you keep doing the same thing over and over.”

Ashley got out of the rut through lots of hard work. Minimum pay jobs were her start, followed by community college, and trying to find a new occupational pathway that didn’t require an internship after it became clear she couldn’t finish in the field she initially chose because of her criminal record kept her from pursing a required internship.

“Your future degree may be dictated by criminal record. With some felonies, you can’t get student loans. You can’t work with kids. You can’t be a nurse,” said Ashley. “But you still need to be able to re-engage and be productive.”

It’s been a long road, but Ashley’s hard work is paying off. She went to a state university and finished her bachelor’s degree, working while she attended school. She is now pursuing her master’s degree in social work, and was recently promoted to a supervisor at a health and social services agency in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Ashley has one more big goal: clearing her criminal record, and P2P is helping her do that.

Pathways to Pardons, initiated by Lt. Governor Mike Stack to provide more access to the pardons process, gives people convicted of a crime information about the chance to apply for a pardon by the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons. A pardon offers total forgiveness for the crime, allowing an individual the ability to deny he or she was ever convicted of a crime. To be considered for a pardon, you must have completed all parts of your criminal sentence, including probation, parole, and payment of all fines and costs, and made positive changes in your life. Although there are no minimum eligibility requirements, a reasonable amount of time should have passed – most applicants have seven to 10 years – from the date of the crime.

The P2P initiative kicked off in 2015 beginning with conversations between the Lt. Governor, the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons and my office. We know that about 70 percent of individuals in jail and with criminal histories report that drug and alcohol were precipitating factors in their arrest and/or a direct result of their incarceration. Its goal is to make sure that individuals have the opportunity to learn about the pardons process and be given a fair opportunity at a second chance in rebuilding their lives.

Living with a criminal record is not confined to those people who suffer from the disease of addiction. It’s damaging and stigmatizing for all, and often spurs recidivism.

But I know from my meetings with people across the state who are living in recovery, or are in treatment working toward living in recovery, that it is a daily challenge. The additional barrier of having a record makes it an even tougher challenge. But it’s a pathway that is doable.

“No matter how many barriers there are, no matter how many people tell you what you can’t do, never give up,” said Ashley, who has applied for pardon. “You need to have hope that you can find another way. You can find that person to vouch for you that you are a good person. Sometimes you need to pave your own way.”

Jennifer Smith is the Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs

The Pathways to Pardons event, hosted by Sen. Andy Dinniman, will be Thursday, March 30, 7:30-9 p.m. at West Chester University, BPMC 212 Business Management Center. The event is free and open to the public.