Pardons For Progress Initiative Announced By Mayor Woodfin

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Mayor Randall Woodfin announced his Pardons for Progress initiative on Monday to assist in removing barriers to employment opportunities for individuals who have been convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession.

“It is my firm belief that many men and women who have been convicted, deserve a second chance in order to secure a job that may be blocked due to a one-time possession conviction,” Woodfin said. “In the spirit of reconciliation, the Pardons for Progress initiative will establish a process for individuals convicted of one marijuana possession charge to receive a pardon if the individual meets certain requirements.”

A marijuana possession conviction can appear on an individual’s background check when seeking employment. In some cases, such a conviction eliminates the opportunity for employment.

Woodfin said the pardon of a marijuana conviction removes a barrier to employment that may exist due to that conviction.

There are certain restrictions involved, however. For instance, Pardons for Progress applies to cases from Birmingham Municipal Court only.

Anyone wanting to obtain a pardon must go through a multi-step application process.

Applicants may go to www.birminghamal.gov/pardons to review and print a one-page application for a pardon. In addition, a copy of a government-issued photo ID (driver’s license or non-driver’s license) must be included.

An individual may submit the completed application (including the copy of the photo ID) by mailing the application packet to:

Pardons for Progress
Office of the Mayor 710 20th Street North Birmingham, AL. 35203

Upon receiving the application packet, a background check will be conducted through the Birmingham Municipal Court. Once the background check is completed, the application will be submitted to the Mayor’s Office, where a five-member Pardons Advisory Council will review the application.

The advisory council will submit a recommendation to the mayor.

If the application is approved by the mayor, a notification of approval will be sent to the Office of the City Attorney.

The approval list of pardons will be forwarded to the president of the Birmingham City Council for transparency, pursuant with Alabama law.

The Office of the Mayor will either issue a Certificate of Pardon to the individual or notify the individual that the application has been denied.

The process of evaluating an application will take a minimum of six weeks.

A pardon in a City of Birmingham case does not change the status of convictions in federal or state courts, nor does it change the status in another municipality’s jurisdiction.