Firm Helps Secure Grants of Clemency for Pro Bono Client
September, 2023 - New York, New York
On September 8, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul granted executive clemency to and commuted the sentence of the firm’s pro bono client, David Herion.
Patterson Belknap has a proud history of handling clemency petitions for deserving clients who have made strong efforts to turn their lives around while incarcerated. On September 8, 2023, the Governor commuted the sentence of Patterson Belknap pro bono client, David Herion. This year’s successful petition for clemency on behalf of Mr. Herion continues the firm’s tradition of representing deserving individuals whose rehabilitative efforts merit reduced sentences. Mr. Herion served a substantial portion of his lengthy prison sentence and engaged in a variety of therapeutic, vocational, and volunteer programs while incarcerated. He has been a participant and facilitator of violence and crime prevention programs, worked as a health attendant providing hospice care, served as a member of the NAACP branch in his facility, and volunteered with his facility's recreation department. Mr. Herion has also been active in his faith community and has served as a mentor to others.
“Our firm and our partner in this project, the MacArthur Justice Center, are very pleased with Governor Hochul’s decision to commute the sentence of our client. We commend the Governor for her continued efforts to reform the clemency process and move New York toward a more just criminal justice system as reflected in the sentence commutation of our client” said Peter Harvey, Patterson Belknap partner and co-counsel for Mr. Herion.
To read the press release issued by The Office of the Governor of the State of New York, click here.
