Governor Greg Abbott is expanding the gubernatorial pardon to support survivors of abuse and human trafficking. This week, the governor moved forward with a plan to give survivors a chance to receive a pardon from crimes they were convicted of if it was determined that the offenses were committed while they were a victim of human trafficking or domestic violence.
“Texas is committed to empowering the survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking, and one of the surest signals of that goal is laying out a true path to redemption and restoration,” said Abbott. in a published statement. “The gubernatorial pardon plays an important role in this redemption process, because it offers a second chance to survivors with criminal convictions resulting from their abuse or exploitation.”
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles will review cases that come up for clemency or a pardon review and then determine if the person seeking a pardon was experiencing human trafficking or domestic violence when they committed their crime and that report will be submitted to Abbott, who already issued a pardon for victiim of sex trafficking back in January on Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
According to the National Survivors Network, 90% of trafficking survivors have been arrested and almost half have been arrested more than nine times.
David Gutierrez, chair of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, posted what the application requires for those seeking a pardon.
'Once the application is received and reviewed, a supplemental application will be mailed to you. The supplemental application will afford you an opportunity to provide a brief statement to the Board of Pardons and Paroles about your human trafficking or domestic violence victimization," he stated. "Please provide detailed information for each of the offenses, convictions or deferred adjudications listed in your application. This will assist the Board of Pardons and Paroles when reviewing and considering your application for a recommendation to the Governor."
Abbott's plan sounds good to the group, SAFE Alliance, a survivor’s resource organization, that reaches out to youth suffering from the trauma of having gone through abuse and sex trafficking.
“The unfortunate reality of it is, oftentimes you know individuals such as myself are viewed as offenders and criminals. I was actually criminalized for my own victimization, for the most part. Not to say I didn’t get services,” Allison Franklin, director of SAFE’s CARES program, said in an interview with KXAN. “I had acquired multiple felonies while under the oppression of my trafficker, making it extremely difficult to obtain employment, housing, and financial aid; there were also numerous other barriers that limited my economic agency.”
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