Culver mum on whether he will commute sentences before leaving office

Even as he wrapped up his farewell tour, Gov. Chet Culver was being asked to commute the sentences of inmates in Iowa prisons.

Culver, whose one term as governor comes to an end in Jan. 14, was handed three applications for executive clemency Jan. 6, including one at his stop in Cedar Rapids.

So far, Culver has reviewed 30 of the 51 applications his office has received from inmates seeking to be released from prison or have their sentences shortened.

Culver has not approved any commutations and declined to say whether he will.

“We'll let you know before we leave,” he said in Cedar Rapids. “I'm going through the same review process that all governors go through.”

The governor's office hasn't been swamped with applications as Culver prepares to leave office, according to Kristin Hardt, a paralegal on the governor's staff who handles requests for commutations, but there has been an uptick.

“One that just walked in the door,” Hardt said Thursday afternoon.

That process takes about two years, she said. Applicants must be investigated by agents from the Division of Criminal Investigation “and they aren't just sitting around waiting for these cases,” Hardt said. In some cases, the Board of Parole must give a unanimous recommendation before the application is reviewed by the governor, she added.

So recent applications will be initiated, but left as pending matters for Governor-elect Terry Branstad, Hardt said.

Although he hasn't commuted any sentences, Culver has exercised his authority to grant other forms of executive clemency. He has restored the citizenship of 263 people, which allows them to vote and hold public office, Hardt said. Some of those applications were pending when he came into office.

Another 25,267 restorations of citizenship have been approved automatically for prisoners discharged from prisoners.

Culver also approved 92 of 242 applications for restoration of firearms rights, Hardt said.

He's granted 89 pardons to 221 applicants. Although pardons are unconditional, they do not erase or delete anything from a person's criminal record. It is noted on the record that a pardon has been issued.

Recent Iowa governors have used their power to grant clemency sparingly. Two-term Democrat Gov. Tom Vilsack commuted the sentences of six people. The most high-profile was Dixie Shanahan Duty of Defiance who was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the 2002 shotgun slaying of her abusive husband. Vilsack reduced her mandatory term from 35 to 10 years.

Branstad, who served four terms as governor from 1983 to 1999, commuted two prison terms. His predecessor, Gov. Robert Ray commuted 27 prison terms between 1969 and 1983.

That's a far cry from the 179 sentences granted by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the 1,059 pardons Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. Both served eight years.