ABSTRACT
This chapter compares constitutional clemency procedures and also compares the modern bureaucratic procedures of large jurisdictions. Jurisdictions differ as to whether applicants for clemency apply in a formal process or an informal one; whether they apply to the executive or to another authority, such as a parole board; and whether they are subject to waiting periods and notification requirements. The chapter explores the variety of notification, reporting, and publication requirements and the special challenges posed by mass grants of clemency. It brings in another model of clemency authority besides a mercy committee: the bureaucratic model, including the Office of the US Pardon Attorney in the Department of Justice and India's Ministry of Home Affairs. In India, the Ministry of Home Affairs has resisted identifying clemency guidelines, indicating as recently as February 2014 that 'No specific guidelines can be framed for examining the mercy petitions due to the vast majority of different types of cases and varied circumstances'.
