During his two terms in the governor's office from 1975 to 1983, Jerry Brown pardoned more than 400 criminals who had been convicted of offenses ranging from petty theft to murder.
Now that he is (presumably) running for governor again, we were curious: What happened to the people he set free pardoned? (Phil Trounstine at Calbuzz points out that pardons are issued after a sentence is served. Our mistake. Thanks, Phil.)
Use this one-of-a-kind database to search for pardonees by name, crime or location and then use the "Details" link on the subsequent page to see a brief of their case as outlined in the governor's annual clemency reports to the legislature.
If you see a pardonee that you know, or who strikes your interest, use the contact form on the details page to tell us about it. We'll dig deeper into the most interesting cases and report back about what we find. Your contributions will be anonymous unless you volunteer your contact information.
UPDATE: Brown adviser Steve Glazer suggested that we include some more context about the pardons process. This document from the Department of Corrections outlines the pardons process and some details about its requirements.
If you have any questions, please contact reporter Chase Davis at cdavis@californiawatch.org.
Source: California State Archives
Last updated: January 2010
