If you or someone you love has a conviction in Tennessee and is looking for a pardon, this guide is written for you. Tennessee's pardon process runs through the Board of Parole, which makes a non-binding recommendation to the Governor, who then decides. One distinction worth knowing upfront: Tennessee treats violent and nonviolent convictions very differently in terms of what a pardon can restore. For nonviolent offenses, a pardon can lead to expungement and restores firearms rights where those rights were lost. For violent offenses, a pardon restores core civil rights but does not restore firearms and does not allow removal of the conviction from the record. Knowing which category applies from the start will shape what the pardon can actually accomplish. 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 Tennessee offers: the forms of clemency
The Governor of Tennessee has authority under Article III, Section 6 of the Tennessee Constitution to grant reprieves and pardons after conviction, except in cases of impeachment. The Governor alone holds clemency authority; there is no separate board with independent pardon power. Tennessee offers three types of clemency: pardons, commutations, and exonerations.
A pardon is a statement of forgiveness by the state. A pardon can only be granted once a person has completed their time in prison. A pardon restores civil rights lost because of the conviction but does not erase the conviction from the record in all cases; that depends on whether the offense was violent or nonviolent.
A commutation reduces or changes the punishment from a greater to a lesser degree, or ends a sentence, including periods of incarceration, parole, or probation. A commutation does not declare the person innocent and does not restore civil rights, which distinguishes it from a pardon. There is no rigid substantive procedure specifying how the Governor should grant commutations; the Governor can act for various reasons. Under the 2020 changes, the previous "clear and convincing evidence" standard for commutation applications was removed, and rehabilitation is now measured relative to the nature of the offense, making the commutation process more accessible for those currently serving sentences.
An exoneration is the act of resolving someone from blame and reversing a criminal conviction. The Governor gives serious consideration to exoneration requests where the petitioner has demonstrated that, after reviewing the facts and circumstances and any newly discovered evidence, the Governor finds the petitioner did not commit the crime for which they were convicted. Exoneration applications had the "clear and convincing evidence" standard removed under the 2020 changes, which reduced the evidentiary burden for applicants.
Who decides: the Governor and the Board of Parole
The Governor holds all clemency authority in Tennessee. The Tennessee Board of Parole, a seven-member independent state agency whose members are appointed by the Governor, reviews all clemency applications, may hold formal hearings, and makes non-binding recommendations to the Governor. The Governor is not required to follow the Board's recommendations, though the Board's favorable recommendation is the prerequisite for an application reaching the Governor's desk.
An important procedural feature: for non-capital applications, the Board may unilaterally deny any application that it concludes does not merit a formal hearing. A Board denial at this stage does not go forward to the Governor; only applications the Board recommends favorably are forwarded. This means the Board functions as a real gate, not just an advisory voice. An applicant whose petition is denied by the Board without a formal hearing does not get a decision from the Governor, and the Board's screening decision is final for that submission. This structure places significant weight on the quality and completeness of the initial submission to the Board.
Eligibility for a pardon
To be eligible for a pardon in Tennessee, the following requirements must be met:
At least five years must have passed since the end of the applicant's sentence, including completion of any probation or community supervision, with no new convictions during that period. The five-year clock starts from the completion of the entire sentence, not from release from incarceration alone; if probation or community supervision extended beyond the prison term, the five-year period starts when that supervision fully ended.
The applicant must have demonstrated exemplary citizenship since completing the sentence. Under the Governor's criteria, exemplary citizenship means both specific achievements and incident-free behavior that indicates an extraordinary transformation following the conviction. Incident-free behavior alone is not sufficient; the standard requires documented affirmative achievements.
The applicant must have a compelling reason for seeking a pardon. The January 2020 revision under Governor Bill Lee changed the standard from "specific and compelling need" to "compelling reason," which broadened the types of circumstances that qualify. A compelling reason might include a professional license or employment opportunity that requires a clean record, the ability to volunteer or serve in a capacity not otherwise available, or other specific needs that flow from the conviction's continuing effects.
Exemplary citizenship must be documented through written communication from at least five persons other than the applicant or any member of the applicant's family, verifying the period of exemplary citizenship and speaking to specific achievements and the transformation since the conviction. These letters should describe concrete examples, not just general praise or expressions of support.
Federal and out-of-state convictions are not eligible for a Governor's pardon in Tennessee. Only Tennessee state court convictions fall within the Governor's clemency authority.
The application process step by step
Step one: submit a petition to the Tennessee Board of Parole Clemency Unit. Applications may be submitted in writing or by email to the Board's Clemency Unit. The pardon application form must be completed in full. The application should include a letter detailing the compelling reasons for a pardon, the documentation supporting exemplary citizenship (including the required letters from at least five non-family individuals), and any other supporting material that demonstrates the extraordinary transformation and the specific need for a pardon.
Step two: Board review. The Board reviews the submitted application. For applications the Board believes merit a formal hearing, it schedules a hearing and makes a recommendation, which is then forwarded to the Governor. At the formal hearing, the Board considers all relevant information and the applicant may have the opportunity to be heard. For applications the Board determines do not merit a formal hearing, it may unilaterally deny the application without sending it to the Governor. There is no published standard time frame for how long Board review takes before scheduling a hearing or making a determination, and applicants should follow up with the Clemency Unit periodically to check the status of their application.
Step three: Governor's decision. The Governor reviews applications that carry a favorable Board recommendation and decides whether to grant or deny the pardon. The Governor has full discretion and may consider the nature of the offense, the length of the original sentence, whether the applicant has other convictions, and all evidence of rehabilitation and the need for the pardon. If the Governor grants the pardon, the civil rights restoration takes immediate effect.
The violent versus nonviolent distinction
Tennessee makes a meaningful legal distinction between violent and nonviolent offenses when it comes to what a pardon can accomplish. Knowing which category a specific conviction falls into is important because it affects whether a pardon can lead to expungement and firearms restoration.
For nonviolent offenses: effective May 2013, a pardon of a nonviolent felony may serve as grounds for expungement of the conviction from the record, which means the conviction can be removed from public criminal history. A pardon for a nonviolent offense also restores firearms rights where those rights were lost based on a drug conviction or other nonviolent conviction. This combination of expungement and firearms restoration makes a pardon for a nonviolent conviction one of the most complete forms of relief available under Tennessee law.
For violent offenses: a pardon restores core civil rights including voting, jury service, and holding public office, and it is a meaningful official act of forgiveness. However, under current state law it does not restore firearms rights and does not allow the conviction to be removed from the record. The conviction will remain visible on background checks. The distinction between violent and nonviolent is determined by Tennessee law; an attorney who handles Tennessee post-conviction matters can advise whether a specific conviction qualifies as nonviolent for these purposes.
What a pardon does in Tennessee
A Tennessee pardon restores the civil rights lost because of the conviction, specifically: the right to vote (Tennessee requires that the person show proof of the pardon before being allowed to vote), the right to hold public office, and the right to serve on a jury. The civil rights restoration takes effect immediately upon the Governor granting the pardon.
For voting rights specifically, Tennessee law provides that certain offenses result in permanent ineligibility that even a pardon cannot fix. Convictions for murder, rape, treason, and voter fraud permanently disqualify a person from having voting rights restored. Public corruption crimes and sexual offenses are also among the ineligible categories for those convicted on or after 2006. People whose convictions fall into these categories cannot have voting rights restored through a pardon or otherwise, which is a permanent and irreversible restriction under Tennessee law. Restoration of voting rights also requires that all restitution ordered by the court as part of the sentence has been paid, and all court costs assessed have been paid (except where the court has made a finding of indigency).
For firearms, as explained above, a nonviolent conviction pardon can restore firearms rights; a violent conviction pardon does not.
A pardon does not erase the conviction automatically. Whether the record can be cleared depends on the nonviolent/violent classification and whether a separate expungement petition is filed with the court after the pardon is granted. For violent convictions, the record cannot be cleared even after a pardon.
A note on federal convictions
If the conviction is a federal conviction, the Governor of Tennessee cannot help. 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.
Where this leaves you
Tennessee's pardon requires patience: the five-year minimum wait after completing the entire sentence including supervision, no new convictions during that period, documented extraordinary transformation through at least five specific and credible non-family support letters, and a compelling reason for why the pardon is needed now. The Board reviews first and can deny without sending the application to the Governor, which makes the quality of the submission critical from the start. For people who have done the real work of rehabilitation and can document it convincingly, the Tennessee pardon is meaningful: it restores voting, jury service, and public office rights, and for nonviolent offenses it opens the door to expungement and firearms restoration. Submit the complete petition to the Tennessee Board of Parole Clemency Unit, attach at least five letters from non-family witnesses who can speak to specific achievements and the extraordinary transformation since the conviction, and make the compelling reason for the pardon clear, specific, and concrete in the accompanying letter.