pardon granted to a sex offender

Great news for a young man who left his misdeeds behind him!

The Nebraska Board of Pardons voted unanimously to pardon [the man] for a sex crime he committed as a juvenile but was convicted of as an adult....

More important for [this man], clemency will remove his name from the sex offender registry, which he said revives his dream of playing professional football

I wrote about this case earlier when there was surprise expressed that he seemed to have a real shot at getting the pardon.

The board also rarely grants pardons to sex offenders. But [his] crime did not involve a physical assault, which was a mitigating factor for the board.

Most sex offenses do not involve physical assault.

Psychologists concluded that [he] is not a sexual predator and represents a minimal risk to reoffend.

And most sex offenders are not sexual predators and are at minimal risk to reoffend.

This is excellent news not only for this young man but for all sex offenders. Most of their offenses fit the same criteria that the Pardons Board saw as mitigating factors.

This offers hope to sex offenders who have lived exemplary lives since their offenses, as this man has. 

I am looking forward to this young man using his recent success and visibility to speak out against the sex offender registry.