By JOHAN SHERIDAN / NEWS 10 ABC
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Governor Kathy Hochul granted clemency to 13 people on Tuesday, reducing the prison sentences of two men and pardoning 11 others who’ve been living crime-free. Hochul has granted 120 clemencies since taking office in 2021, a pace that criminal justice advocates call too slow to address a backlog of almost 1,800 pending applications and a rising death toll inside state prisons.
The governor commuted the sentences of Terrance Cole, 59, and Raphael Jackson, 53. Both are serving life sentences as persistent offenders, a designation that lengthened their prison terms based on previous convictions. Both met the state’s eligibility guidelines, typically requiring applicants to complete at least half of their minimum prison term for consideration…