If you or someone you love has a conviction in Illinois and is looking for clemency, this guide is written for you. Illinois has five distinct types of executive clemency, and choosing the right type before you file makes a meaningful difference in what the pardon actually accomplishes. The process runs through the Prisoner Review Board, which reviews petitions and holds public quarterly hearings before making a confidential recommendation to the Governor. The Governor then decides, on no fixed timeline. I have been through the system myself, and most of the fear comes from not knowing how the process works. So let me walk you through it in plain language. None of this is legal advice, and every case is different, so treat this as a map and lean on a lawyer for the turns.
What Illinois offers: five types of executive clemency
The Governor of Illinois has constitutional authority to grant several forms of executive clemency, and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board processes applications for each. Understanding which type to request is the first decision to make.
A commutation of sentence reduces or ends a prison sentence while the underlying conviction remains on the record. This is the form relevant to people still incarcerated who are seeking early release.
A pardon forgives the conviction and removes the legal disabilities that accompany it, but does not erase the conviction from the criminal record. A pardon alone enters the forgiveness on the criminal history and removes certain consequences without providing a path to record clearance.
An expungement authorization to file in circuit court does not itself erase the record; it grants permission to petition the circuit court where the conviction occurred to seek expungement. Without a pardon, many felony convictions in Illinois are not eligible for expungement.
A pardon and expungement authorization combines both: the Governor forgives the conviction and grants authority to file for expungement in circuit court. After expungement, access to the conviction record is restricted, though the record is not fully removed from the Illinois State Police database.
A pardon and expungement with firearm privileges is the most comprehensive form. In addition to the pardon and expungement authorization, it restores the person's ability to apply for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card. The pardon itself does not guarantee that a FOID card will be issued; it restores eligibility to apply, and the Illinois State Police then reviews the application. This is the only path through which state firearms rights can be restored after a felony conviction in Illinois.
Who decides: the Prisoner Review Board and the Governor
Every clemency petition in Illinois must first go through the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. The PRB receives petitions, reviews them for completeness, schedules and holds hearings, and then submits a recommendation to the Governor. The PRB's recommendation is confidential by law and cannot be disclosed to anyone other than the Governor or the Governor's staff. Only the Governor can grant or deny a clemency petition; the PRB's role is advisory.
Hearings are held in front of a panel of three to five PRB members. They are public hearings, open to observers. The State's Attorney from the county of conviction may appear and object. Victims may speak. Up to four people, including the petitioner, may speak on the petitioner's behalf. Incarcerated petitioners may not attend in person but may have a representative speak for them, and that representative does not need to be an attorney. After all witnesses are heard, the PRB panel sends its confidential recommendation to the Governor. There is no deadline for the Governor to decide. The process can take months or years. When a decision is made, the Governor's office sends a letter.
Who is eligible for clemency in Illinois
There is no statutory waiting period before a first petition can be filed. Anyone convicted of an Illinois state crime may petition for executive clemency, for any offense. Both incarcerated and non-incarcerated people may apply. The strength of the application and the circumstances of the conviction and post-conviction conduct since then are the primary factors evaluated, not a minimum waiting period.
After a denial, an applicant must wait one year before filing a new petition. The Chairman of the Prisoner Review Board may make an exception if compelling reasons exist.
Federal convictions and out-of-state convictions are not within the Governor's or the PRB's jurisdiction.
Before you file: do you actually need a pardon for voting or jury service?
Two rights that felony convictions often cost people in other states are not meaningfully affected by the clemency process in Illinois. Voting rights in Illinois are automatically restored upon completion of sentence; if you are no longer incarcerated, your voting rights are already restored and you simply need to re-register to vote. Jury service in Illinois is never lost as a consequence of a felony conviction; you do not need a pardon to serve on a jury.
This means a pardon in Illinois is most valuable when the goal is something specific: professional licensing that requires a clean record, record clearance through the expungement authorization, or restoration of the ability to apply for a firearms license. Know what you actually need the pardon to accomplish before you file, and choose the right type of clemency accordingly. Filing for a basic pardon when you actually need the pardon and expungement authorization is a mistake that extends the timeline by requiring a second petition.
The application process step by step
Step one: write the petition. The petition must be addressed to the Governor of Illinois, and it must be signed in front of a notary public. The PRB provides guidelines and a sample petition at prb.illinois.gov under the Executive Clemency link. The petition must include your case history, the grounds for your clemency request, supporting documents and letters, the type of clemency you are requesting, and an explanation of why you are seeking it. If you are pursuing a career or license that specifically requires clemency, include letters or documentation from the employer or licensing agency confirming this. If you are requesting expungement authorization or firearm privileges restoration, state that explicitly and explain the need in specific, personal terms.
Step two: send required copies. You must mail a copy of the petition to the sentencing judge and to the State's Attorney in the county of conviction. Proof of this mailing must be included with your submission to the PRB, either as certified mail receipts or as a notarized affidavit confirming that copies were sent. The PRB will reject a petition without this proof.
Step three: submit to the PRB and meet the deadline. Mail the completed petition and all required documents to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, 1001 North Walnut Street, Springfield, Illinois 62702. The PRB must receive your completed petition at least 75 days before the first date of the quarterly public hearing for it to be considered on that docket. Hearings are held four times per year in both Chicago and Springfield. If your petition is received after the 75-day deadline, it will be placed on the next available docket.
Step four: the public hearing. The PRB will assign a hearing date and notify you. If you are not incarcerated, you may appear in person at the hearing and must have stated this in your petition. Bring supporters who can speak to your rehabilitation, as up to four people may speak on your behalf during the hearing. The panel of three to five PRB members will ask questions. The State's Attorney may object. Victims may speak. Present your case clearly and specifically.
Step five: the Governor's decision. After the hearing, the PRB submits its confidential recommendation to the Governor. There is no deadline for the Governor to decide, and the recommendation itself is never made public, which means there is no way for applicants to know from outside what the PRB recommended or where the petition stands in the Governor's queue. The process from filing to decision typically takes approximately one year but can take much longer. When the Governor acts, you will receive a letter.
What a pardon does and does not do in Illinois
The effect of a pardon in Illinois depends on which type of clemency was granted. A standard pardon forgives the conviction and removes the legal disabilities accompanying it. It does not erase the conviction from your record.
A pardon with expungement authorization allows you to file for expungement in the circuit court. If the court grants expungement, access to the conviction is restricted in Illinois records, though the record is not fully deleted from the Illinois State Police database.
A pardon with firearm privileges additionally restores the ability to apply for a FOID card. The pardon restores eligibility; the Illinois State Police then reviews the FOID application and may still deny it. Federal firearms laws also continue to apply independently of a state pardon.
In practice, after a pardon is granted, a person can generally say they were not convicted of that crime in many contexts, since the legal disabilities are removed. However, because the record itself is not erased by the pardon alone, the conviction may still appear on background checks until expungement is separately completed. Even after court-ordered expungement in Illinois, the conviction record is not fully deleted from the Illinois State Police database; instead, public access to it is restricted. The practical effect on standard employment and housing background checks depends on how comprehensive the background check source is and whether it accesses the restricted database.
A note on the current grant environment
Illinois clemency grant activity varies significantly depending on the sitting Governor. As of mid-2026, Governor Pritzker granted only four pardons in the first five months of the year. With a contested election taking place in 2026, experts in Illinois clemency practice have noted that decisions on pending petitions may move slowly through the remainder of the year. Anyone seeking a pardon in Illinois should be prepared for a long wait and should manage expectations accordingly.
A note on federal convictions
If the conviction is a federal conviction rather than an Illinois state conviction, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board and the Governor of Illinois cannot help you. Federal clemency is granted by the President of the United States, and applications go through the Office of the Pardon Attorney within the United States Department of Justice. The federal and state processes are entirely separate.
Where this leaves you
Illinois's clemency process has accessible entry points, with no minimum waiting period for a first petition and quarterly hearings in two cities. The critical decisions are what type of clemency to request and how to present the application. If your goal is clearing the record, you need the pardon and expungement authorization, not just a pardon. If your goal is firearms restoration, you need the pardon and expungement with firearm privileges. Choose the type that matches your actual need, include the 75-day deadline and the proof-of-mailing requirements in your planning, and build the application around the specific story of rehabilitation that the panel and the Governor need to see. Illinois is one of the few states where jury service is never lost, voting rights restore automatically, and the clemency process is thus most relevant to people seeking expungement authorization or firearms restoration; if those are your goals, they are worth pursuing deliberately and carefully through the right type of petition.