pardon

Pardon is a formal act of forgiving or excusing an offense or crime, often accompanied by a release from penalties or a restoration of rights. It can be absolute or conditional and may also refer to forgiveness in personal or religious contexts.

In legal systems, a pardon is a clemency power exercised by an executive authority, such as a president or governor, under constitutional or statutory authority. Types include a full pardon (forgiveness of the crime and penalties), a conditional pardon (subject to terms), a commutation (reduction of a sentence), and a reprieve (temporary delay of punishment). The effect of a pardon can include removal of penalties, restoration of civil rights, or eligibility for benefits, but it does not necessarily imply innocence, and its availability and consequences vary by jurisdiction.

Pardons are distinct from other legal concepts. Amesty generally refers to blanket forgiveness for a group or class of offenses, not individuals. Expungement or sealing of records is a separate process to erase or hide criminal records and may not depend on a pardon. The retroactive effects and formal procedures of pardons differ across legal systems, and in some places a granted pardon may require acceptance or come with conditions.

In religious or everyday usage, pardon can denote forgiveness granted by a deity or by individuals, and in common language it means to excuse or overlook a fault or mistake.

Etymology traces pardon to Old French pardonner, from Latin perdonare, meaning to grant complete forgiveness, from per- ‘through’ + donare ‘to give.’