If you or someone you love has a conviction in Kansas and is looking for a pardon, this guide is written for you. Kansas pardons are among the rarest in the country, the process includes a newspaper publication requirement that does not exist in most other states and that voids the pardon if skipped, and Kansas expungement laws are widely considered the more effective path for most people seeking relief from a criminal record. That said, the pardon process in Kansas is real and accessible for those who need it, and understanding how it works matters. 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 Kansas offers: the forms of clemency
The Governor of Kansas holds pardon authority under Article I, Section 7 of the Kansas Constitution. By statute, the Governor is empowered to pardon or commute the sentence of any person convicted of a crime in any Kansas court, on such terms and conditions as the Governor prescribes. The Kansas Prisoner Review Board, established within the Kansas Department of Corrections, processes applications and submits recommendations to the Governor.
A pardon in Kansas removes disabilities imposed by state law as a consequence of the conviction. It is the Governor's formal statement of forgiveness. A commutation of sentence reduces or lessens an active sentence for a person who is currently incarcerated, and is the appropriate form of clemency for someone seeking early release from prison rather than post-sentence forgiveness.
Who decides: the Governor and the Prisoner Review Board
The Governor of Kansas holds final clemency authority. The Prisoner Review Board, composed of three existing employees of the Kansas Department of Corrections who serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of Corrections, processes all clemency applications. The chair and vice-chair of the Board are designated by the Secretary of Corrections, not the Governor.
The Governor cannot act on requests sent directly to the Governor's office. All clemency applications must be submitted to the Kansas Prisoner Review Board. The Board examines each case, conducts a file review, may conduct a personal interview with the applicant, and then submits a recommendation to the Pardon Attorney in the Governor's office for the Governor's final action. The Governor may not grant or deny clemency until either: (a) receiving the Board's recommendation, or (b) the statutory notice requirements have been fulfilled and 120 days have passed since the application's referral to the Board.
The Governor is required to report to the Kansas legislature on pardon petitions granted in the past year, including the offense for which the person was pardoned. The statute does not require the Governor to explain the specific reasoning for each decision, which means there is limited public insight into what factors ultimately move a Kansas pardon forward.
If an attorney is retained for clemency purposes, the attorney must submit an Attorney Affidavit as required by K.S.A. 22-3706. This is a Kansas-specific procedural requirement that applies whenever legal representation is involved in the clemency application.
Who is eligible for a pardon in Kansas
There are no formal statutory eligibility requirements limiting who may apply for a pardon. Only Kansas state court convictions are eligible to be pardoned or commuted; the Governor has no authority to pardon or commute sentences imposed by federal courts or courts of other states.
In practice, pardons in Kansas are rare. Between 2015 and 2018, eighty-four applications for pardon were filed and only eight were recommended favorably by the Board. Governor Laura Kelly granted three pardons and five commutations in June 2021, the first Kansas pardon grants in many years. A pardon granted by former Governor Brownback in 2017 was only the ninth pardon granted since 1993. Historically, expungement has been the preferred and more commonly used remedy for most disabilities associated with a conviction in Kansas.
The application process step by step
Step one: provide notice to the prosecuting attorney and sentencing judge. Before a pardon may be granted, written notice of the application must be given to the prosecuting attorney and the judge of the court in which you were convicted. This notice must be provided at least 30 days before the pardon can be granted.
Step two: provide notice to victims if required. If you were convicted of certain crimes, including person felonies and specific offenses listed in the Kansas statutes, written notice must also be provided to any victim of the crime or the victim's family at least 30 days before the pardon can be granted. The Board will advise you whether your conviction triggers this victim notification requirement.
Step three: publish a copy of the application in a newspaper. This is the requirement that is not found in most other states, and it is an absolute condition: you must publish a copy of the application for pardon in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of conviction at least 30 days before a pardon can be granted. If the publication requirement is not met, the pardon is void by statute. There is no exception, no waiver, and no cure after the fact; the publication must happen at the required time or the pardon cannot take effect. If the applicant does not have sufficient funds for the cost of newspaper publication, the Kansas Department of Corrections will bear that cost, so lack of funds is not a barrier.
Step four: complete the application. Complete two copies of the Application for Clemency, giving full and explicit reasons for seeking executive clemency. Include detailed information about your conduct and adjustment since conviction, your release plans if still incarcerated, your current employment and living situation, and why you are seeking a pardon specifically. The application asks for substantive information, not just biographical facts; a thoughtful explanation of how your life has changed since the conviction and what the pardon would make possible is more persuasive than a brief statement. Applications and instructions are available at doc.ks.gov/prb/clemency.
Step five: submit to the Prisoner Review Board. Send all documents to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Attention: Prisoner Review Board, 714 SW Jackson, Suite 300, Topeka, Kansas 66603. Comments are solicited from the sentencing judge and the prosecuting attorney as part of the Board's review process.
Step six: Board review and Governor's decision. After the formalities are completed, the Board conducts a file review to determine if a personal interview is warranted. After the review and any interview, the Board submits a recommendation to the Pardon Attorney in the Governor's office for the Governor's final action. The Board has 120 days to finalize its review from the time the application is referred to it. Clemency is described by the Governor's office as a discretionary act with no set timeline for the Governor's final decision once the file is received.
What a pardon does and does not do in Kansas
A Kansas pardon removes disabilities imposed under state law as a consequence of the conviction. It is an extraordinary remedy and the Governor's formal acknowledgment that the person has been forgiven for the crime.
A pardon does not erase the conviction from the record. The Kansas Department of Corrections is direct on this point: a pardon does not erase the conviction from the record, does not remove responsibility for the crime, and cannot be the basis for a negative response to the question "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" This is different from states like Connecticut, where an absolute pardon triggers a court order of erasure.
A pardon also does not lift the bar to service as a law enforcement officer under Kansas law. And a pardoned conviction can still be used to increase sentencing in a subsequent criminal proceeding.
Civil rights in Kansas, including the right to vote, to hold public office, and to serve on a jury, are automatically restored upon completion of the authorized sentence under Kansas Statute 21-6613. This automatic restoration includes payment of all court debt. A pardon is not needed to restore voting rights for most convictions; the certificate of discharge issued on completion of parole or conditional release serves as evidence of restored civil rights. Jury eligibility, however, is lost for a minimum of ten years after conviction, and a pardon or expungement removes that ten-year jury disability earlier than the statutory clock would.
Firearms rights in Kansas turn on the specific conviction. A conviction for a person felony or a drug felony results in a permanent loss of firearm rights if a firearm was carried at the time of the offense. If no firearm was used, the prohibition is ten years for specified serious felonies and five years for other person felonies, unless the conviction was pardoned or expunged. A pardon or expungement removes the firearms prohibition for convictions where the prohibition was not permanent.
Kansas expungement: the more commonly used path
In Kansas, expungement has historically been the preferred remedy for most disabilities associated with a criminal conviction, and this is reflected in the rarity of pardon grants. Kansas expungement law is broader in practical effect for many people than a pardon, because expungement actually removes the record from public access and removes the collateral consequences of the conviction, including most firearms disabilities. The Kansas expungement statute has been amended multiple times and covers a wide range of offense types with tiered waiting periods based on offense severity. Under Kansas law, an expungement removes the bar on possessing a firearm for non-permanent cases in the same way a pardon would. An attorney who handles Kansas criminal post-conviction matters can evaluate whether expungement, a pardon, or both are appropriate for a specific situation and which path is more realistic given the conviction type.
A note on federal convictions
If the conviction is a federal conviction rather than a Kansas state conviction, the Governor of Kansas and the Kansas Prisoner Review Board 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
Kansas has a real pardon process but one that is rarely used. The newspaper publication requirement is unique and must be handled correctly or the pardon, if granted, will be void. The Board review takes up to 120 days, and after that the Governor's timeline is open-ended. For most people with Kansas convictions, the expungement process is the more practical and commonly effective path, because it actually clears the record rather than simply adding a notation of forgiveness. If your situation requires a pardon specifically, whether because expungement is not available for your offense type, because a professional licensing board requires it, or because the formal act of executive forgiveness is what you need, the process described above is the path. Go in understanding the rarity of grants, prepare a complete and honest application, meet every notice and publication requirement in the statute, and use an attorney familiar with Kansas clemency practice if you can. The Board has 120 days to send its recommendation, and the Governor's timeline after that is open-ended. Patience and a strong application record are the two tools you have.