Pardons are authorized by the North Carolina Constitution, they are issued by the Governor of North Carolina, and applications for pardon are managed by the North Carolina Governor's Clemency Office.

There are basically three different types of Pardons as follows:

• Pardon of Forgiveness
• Unconditional Pardon
• Pardon of Innocence

A pardon of forgiveness will provide the assurance to future viewers of your criminal record that all of your sentencing requirements were met, and the governor's office has granted you a pardon, forgiving the offense committed.  This pardon actually becomes a part of your criminal record.

An unconditional pardon is the pardon necessary for having one's rights restored following conviction of a criminal offense.  This pardon is often requested for the purpose of having gun rights restored following the conviction of a felony or other domestic violence related offense.

A pardon of innocence is only issued in circumstances where, following a conviction, evidence has come up that has been presented to a court, and as a result of the new evidence, the court has overturned the conviction, and dropped the charges against the person.  This pardon allows for a statement of innocence, and there is an expunction (separate from the pardon) that will allow for the removal of all records related to the charge and conviction.

Please contact us if you are in need of legal services related to a pardon.