Forrest Donnell News Today

At the federal level, President Joe Biden last year pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession and encouraged governors to do the same.

“I still believe in law and order. I believe criminals need to be treated as such, and they’ve got accountability,” Parson said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has granted more than 600 pardons in the past three years, which is more than any Missouri governor since the early 1940s. The Republican is a former sheriff who once was the face of justice in rural Polk County. He is now also the face of mercy. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin also has set a state record for the number of pardons. The governors are part of a movement toward restoring peoples rights after they have completed their criminal sentences.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson has granted more than 600 pardons in the past three years, which is the highest number by any Missouri governor since the 1940s.

Distraught by a romantic breakup, 16-year-old Kenny Batson vented his hurt by stomping out the windshields of cars on a for-sale lot. He landed in juvenile detention, but that was only the beginning of his trouble. Over the ensuing years, Batson stole cigarettes, booze and cars for drunken joyrides while bouncing in and out of […]

Gov. Mike Parson: “I still believe in law and order. I believe criminals need to be treated as such, and they’ve got accountability."

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is granting pardons at a pace not seen since the World War II era. Parson has granted more than 600 pardons in the past three years,

For a dozen years as a rural sheriff, Mike Parson was the face of justice, the man ultimately responsible for catching and locking up local lawbreakers. Now governor, Parson, a Republican, also has become the face of mercy by pardoning more than 600 people in the past three years, more than any Missouri governor since the 1940s.

Distraught by a romantic breakup, 16-year-old Kenny Batson vented his hurt by stomping out the windshields of cars on a for-sale lot. Over the ensuing years, Batson stole cigarettes, booze and cars for drunken joyrides while bouncing in and out of prison and substance abuse treatment programs. Now 50, Batson is a Christian pastor, a reformed man who has been pardoned for his crimes.

Mike Parson has become the face of mercy by pardoning more than 600 people in the past three years.