(Newswire.net — April 18, 2017) — Convicted people that carry out their sentence have a great opportunity in Canada by being able to apply for a pardon. At least that’s the case with some of the cases of conviction. There is a strict set of guidelines which will tell you whether or not you are eligible for a pardon request. Once you find out if you are eligible, you will know how to proceed.
To start things at the beginning, it is important to note that there are basically two types of crimes in Canada. One is called summary and it pretty much means that the offense wasn’t very serious or that no one got hurt, and other one is indictable which means that what you did is a very serious thing and had serious consequences. Knowing in which category your crime fits is an important detail to keep in mind towards obtaining the pardon.
The Parole Board of Canada gives out a pardon or a record suspension as it is also called after examining the application you submit. If you have not carried out your full sentence, you cannot request a pardon. To be clear, a pardon here does not mean you will be discharged from having to serve time, but rather that once the sentence has been executed, you will not have a criminal record.
Criminal records can and most likely do impact heavily on the lives of those sentenced but also their close relatives and friends. If you are ready to start your application for requesting a pardon after making sure that you meet all the requirements which deem you eligible, the process goes like this:
You can handle everything yourself or allow a pardon agency or lawyer/law firm to help you. They will do so for a price, of course. Choosing to receive help will have those looking into your criminal record check info about your case. You will be required to help them out with personal information or information that they can’t get on their own, but other than that it’s pretty much smooth sailing for you from here on out.
The time it takes for a pardon application to get a reply varies greatly based on multiple variables, but the waiting time can get to 6 month in some cases. If you are applying for a pardon, you need to arm yourself with plenty of patience, and also focus on improving yourself and your lifestyle in the meanwhile. It will help the overall process and even the final result of it if the Parole Board sees you as a rehabilitated individual that is working hard to regain a position in society. Alternatively, you can do everything yourself and save up the money you would have paid the lawyer or pardon agency.