Example letter to the Governor

William R. Stout, Jr.
1234 Anystreet Ave.
Quinton, VA 23141



April 24, 2016



The Honorable Terry McAuliffe
Governor of Virginia
Common Ground for Virginia
P.O. Box 1475
Richmond, VA 23218



Dear Governor McAuliffe;



First, allow me to applaud you for restoring the voting rights of Virginia citizens who were convicted and have served their sentence. I know that it took a great deal of courage on your part to do this. But there is another matter that requires your attention, and that is Kelly Dara's request for conditional pardon.

We ask our prisons to reform those we commit to them so that they can one day return to us as productive citizens. But Kelly's case is different because she was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for a crime that she committed when she was just seventeen years old. She was dating a boy that her parents didn't approve of and she rebelled against them. She and her boyfriend decided to run away together where they could live by their own rules. But in the process of obtaining a vehicle, it's owner was killed.

Kelly's hand did not hold the knife and she wasn't even present for the confrontation. But the law does not excuse her of culpability for the crime as she was a part of the effort to steal the car in the first place. However, the judge did not take her boyfriend's testimony into consideration at sentencing. Her co-defendant advised the police that Kelly never wanted the victim to be seriously harmed or killed. Despite that fact, the judge sentenced her to life without parole. In short, he sentenced her to die in prison for crimes committed when she was a juvenile.

But Kelly has never allowed her past to influence her as a person. She grew up in prison, but as one person has said in the comments on her petition to be allowed parole, "she doesn't fit the environment." Even former and present prison staff believe that she deserves a second chance because of the woman that she has grown to be. They say that she has never been disruptive, that she has always appeared remorseful for the events of her past, that she is a hard worker. And those that have served with her say that she is helpful, kind, and that she looks out for those who need a hand. In short, she has become a ray of hope in a hard place.

She doesn't have any previous criminal record, she has never been addicted to drugs, and she presents no threat to the community. She does not ask for her conviction to be overturned, and she doesn't ask for a sentence reduction. She only asks to be allowed the privilege of applying for parole so that she can have a chance at going home. She has already served twenty-one years of her life sentence. That is longer than she lived in the free world by four years.

I contend that her sentence is far too harsh. Her mistake was trusting a boy that she thought she loved at seventeen and believing that her parents didn't know what was best for her. So on March 6, 1995, three families were irrevocably changed. You have the power to help heal one of those families. And so I ask you, sir, to allow Kelly a chance for parole. If ever there were anyone who deserved that privilege, it is she.

Her family stands ready to provide for her and to give her a home, and so do I if she will have it. She won't be on her own and there are a lot of people who will step up to support her return to society. Until you make a decision, I shall continue to pray for your favorable consideration.



With great respect,



William R. Stout