People Change.
Records Can Too.
Video Library
Click one of the options below to jump to a specific section:
Why a Pardon?
Overview
Peer to Peer Videos – Reflections and Advice from people who have applied
Self-Help Videos – for Applicants, Pardon Coaches and Pardon Projects
Pardon Coach Trainings
Resources for Pardon Projects
Outreach and Engagement
Why a Pardon?
- People Change (5 mins | August 2018)
- Pardons in PA overview video (12 mins)
- Pardon Me (2:22 trailer) – award-winning documentary short by Shuja Moore (32 mins | September 2023)
- PA Rep. Smith-Wade-El on the importance of record clearing (2 mins | March 2024)
- The Power of a Pardon (29 mins | WNET July 2024)
- 13th documentary film directed by Ava DuVernay
Overview
- Pardons in PA overview video (12 mins)
- How to read a docket (9 mins)
- You CAN vote! Voting rights and your criminal record (4 mins)
Peer-to-Peer Videos: Advice from People Who Have Been Through the Pardon Process
- Why is a pardon important?
- What is the Board of Pardons looking for?
- What is the hardest part of the pardon process?
- How do you prepare for applying?
- What can you do to show community involvement?
- Do you need a lawyer?
- What if I wasn’t guilty?
- Interview with Parole Agent
- The Public Hearing before the Board of Pardons
Self-Help Videos
- Workforce Alliance: 6 How-To Videos about applying for a Pardon
- Do-It-Yourself Pardon Application, for potential applicants and pardon coaches: English (60 min) | Spanish (38 mins)
- New BOP Pardon Application (June 25, 2025)
- Ten Tips for Using the New Online Pardon Application
- Preparing For Your Pardon Hearing: Insights and Tips for Success from Four Who Have Been Through Them (60 mins | July 2022)
- PPSC: Preparing for YOUR Pardon Hearing (Nov 2023)
Pardon Coach Trainings
- Training Volunteers for a Community Pardon Clinic
- Pardon Coach Training (60 mins)
- York County Pardon Coach Training (60 mins | April 2023)
- Pardon Coach Training for Non-Lawyers (56 mins | July 2022)
Resources for Pardon Projects
- Pardon Fellows: How Part-Time Service From People With Lived Experience Help Pardon Projects Succeed (22 mins)
- Outreach Events: Presentations by the Pardon Projects of Lehigh, Westmoreland and Berks Counties (50 mins)
- Unpaid LFOs and What Can Be Done About Them (25 mins | June 2023)
- Fundraising: Making Pardon Projects Sustainable (60 mins)
- Preparing Clients for their Public Hearings – the Philadelphia Model (21 mins)
- Pardon Project of Beaver County: Integrating the Court Clerk and the DA into the Intake Process (67 mins)
- Pardon Project of Berks County (19 mins)
- The Lancaster County Model (15 mins)
For step-by-step guidance on how to create a Pardon Project, visit our Resources Page.
Outreach and Engagement
Elected Officials
Higher Education
- Pardons at the University: How faculty and staff have brought pardons to undergraduate campuses (October 2024)
- Reflections of Student Pardon Coaches (30 mins | February 2022)
- A 3L’s Experience Serving as a Pardon Coach (5 mins | April 2022)
Workforce Development
- Pardons’ Role in Workforce Development (EDSI/CareerLinks | 53 mins)
- Pardons and Workforce Development: A Discussion About Possibilities (June 2025)
Healthcare
Recovery Community
- Unity Recovery (July 2023)
- Recovery Community Training (Cambria County | April 2023)
- DBHIDS Training: Pardons, In a Recovery World (October 2023)
Public Housing
Courts
Public Defenders
- Pardons for Public Defenders (52 mins | May 2024)
News Alert
On August 6, 2026, the Board of Pardons again granted hearings to (slightly) more than 80% of the candidates they reviewed: 66 of the 82 candidates. This has pretty much been a constant rate for several years now.
The Board was unanimous on 60% of the candidates they reviewed -- 38 unanimously yes, 11 unanimously no. This high percentage again suggests that they could have sped up their review of those 39 candidates by several years.
The really bad news in all of this is that the Board considered only 82 candidates. Only 82. At that rate, they'd merit review only 246 candidates per year - FAR less than the 2,000 or so applications they are receiving every year.
It's no wonder that the backlog is now over 7,000 candidates and the wait for their merit review for applicants filing now is over 10 years. That is simply shameful. Something clearly must be done to fix the system.
The Pardon Project began in 2018 as a part of Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity's service to its Philadelphia low-income clients with criminal records. Its first year report can be read here. When COVID-19 shut down direct operations, Tobey Oxholm (then PLSE's Executive Director) started teaching individuals and organizations about pardons via zoom. A greatly simplified application made it possible to engage with more volunteers, and the Project expanded to counties all around the state.
In 2025, the Pennsylvania Pardon Project was formed as a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation and received its 501c3 determination that same year. Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law and GREATLY appreciated, and should be mailed. New partners are welcome at all times. Copies of the organization's tax returns and policies are available upon request.
