Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly granted a pardon to a man convicted of aggravated battery more than three decades ago in Lyon County and sentenced to serve 32 months in prison.
Kelly, who is the final year of her second term as Kansas governor, has relied on executive authority outlined in the Kansas Constitution to pardon or commute sentences twice as many times as the state’s four previous governors combined.
The decision to extend mercy to Chung Pham was made by Kelly based on independent reviews by the state Prisoner Review Board, the Kansas Department of Administration and the governor’s legal counsel.
“A thorough vetting and review process determines individuals considered for pardons have indeed made amends for their actions and have been consistent in positively contributing to society and to their community,” Kelly said. “The decision to grant a pardon is a serious one.”
Pham was convicted in 1993 of aggravated battery in Lyon County District Court. He was 21 years old at that time of the offense and had no prior convictions. He was ordered to serve 32 months in prison followed by two years of post-release supervision.
In Kansas, governors have power to consider pardons or commutations based on nature of the offense, length of time since the crime and impact of the crime on victims or survivors.
Governors also take into account information on a person’s criminal history, absence of disciplinary issues while incarcerated, evidence of rehabilitation and contributions to society following release from prison.
“Individuals who have long maintained their law-abiding behavior and positive community impact have earned the second chance a pardon can provide,” Kelly said Friday in a statement.
In 2024, Kelly granted clemency to nine people by granting pardons to seven individuals and commuting the sentences of two incarcerated individuals.
Among that group was Lauren Holle, who entered a plea of guilty in 2010 to charges of second-degree murder, child abandonment and child abuse. She was 20 years old when she gave birth, wrapped the baby in a bag and placed the child in the back seat of a car. The infant died. Holle was ordered to serve at least 19 years in prison.
Kelly commuted her sentenced after determining “continued incarceration no longer serves the interests of justice.”
The Democratic governor signed three pardons and commuted the sentences of five people in 2021. One of those beneficiaries was Michael McCloud, who had been released from prison in 2018 after 27 years behind bars for armed robbery. While at Lansing Correctional Facility, he had been a model inmate, was never disciplined and worked a minimum wage job to pay restitution to victims.
“He was going to be put back in prison on a technicality, not on anything he had done,” Kelly said at that time. “That seemed wrong, completely unnecessary, not fair to him, and not in the state’s best interest.”
The state’s four previous governors granted clemency a combined nine times. Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius did it once, while Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson pardoned four people. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback pardoned one man and Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer pardoned two people and commuted the sentence of a woman.
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Story via Kansas Reflector
