Other Free Encyclopedias :: Law Library - American Law and Legal Information :: Crime and Criminal Law

Amnesty and Pardon - Terminology And Etymology, Historical Overview, Clemency Powers In The Twentieth Century, The Future Of Clemency

Examples of amnesty and pardon are as ancient as the records of organized society, and these institutions are recognized in almost every contemporary legal system. This universality may be seen as a reflection of the desire appertaining to all systems to "temper justice with mercy." More specifically, it signifies the need for any formal system to maintain a residual power to introduce occasional modifications in implementing its formal norms in order to meet the exigencies of unforeseen situations.

LESLIE SEBBA

RICHARD S. FRASE

See also POLITICAL PROCESS AND CRIME; PUNISHMENT; REHABILITATION.

CASES

Burdick v. United States, 236 U.S. 79, 95 (1915).

Knote v. United States, 95 U.S. 149 (1877).

State v. Blalock, 61 N.C. (Phil. Law) 242, 247 (1867).

Additional Topics

Amnesty and Pardon - Terminology And Etymology

Amnesty and Pardon - Historical Overview

Amnesty and Pardon - Clemency Powers In The Twentieth Century

Amnesty and Pardon - The Future Of Clemency

Amnesty and Pardon - Bibliography

Counsel: Right to Counsel - The Sources Of The Constitutional Right To Counsel, A Framework For Thinking About When The Constitutional Right To Counsel Attaches [next] [back] Policing - Early Policing, Professional Policing, Private Police, Seeking Reform, National Crime Spree, Counterterrorism

User Comments Add a comment…