Louisiana § 15:572 Powers of governor to grant reprieves and pardons; automatic pardon for first

Louisiana Statutes

§ 15:572 — Powers of governor to grant reprieves and pardons; automatic pardon for first

Louisiana § 15:572

Title 15Criminal Procedure

This text of Louisiana § 15:572 (Powers of governor to grant reprieves and pardons; automatic pardon for first) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

La. Stat. Ann. § 15:572 (2026).

Text

§572. Powers of governor to grant reprieves and pardons; automatic pardon for first offender; payment of court costs required A.

(1)The governor may grant reprieves to persons convicted of offenses against the state and, upon recommendation of the Board of Pardons as hereinafter provided for by this Part, may commute sentences, pardon those convicted of offenses against the state, and remit fines and forfeitures imposed for such offenses. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the governor shall not grant any pardon to any person unless that person has paid all of the court costs which were imposed in connection with the conviction of the crime for which the pardon is to be issued.

(2)The governor shall notify the following individuals at least thirty days before commuting

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§572. Powers of governor to grant reprieves and pardons; automatic pardon for first
offender; payment of court costs required
A.(1) The governor may grant reprieves to persons convicted of offenses against the
state and, upon recommendation of the Board of Pardons as hereinafter provided for by this
Part, may commute sentences, pardon those convicted of offenses against the state, and remit
fines and forfeitures imposed for such offenses. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
contrary, the governor shall not grant any pardon to any person unless that person has paid
all of the court costs which were imposed in connection with the conviction of the crime for
which the pardon is to be issued.
(2) The governor shall notify the following individuals at least thirty days before
commuting a criminal sentence or granting a pardon to any person:
(a) The attorney general, the district attorney, the sheriff of the parish in which the
applicant was convicted, and, in Orleans Parish, the superintendent of police.
(b) The victim or the spouse or next of kin of a deceased victim.
(3) The governor shall approve or reject a favorable recommendation for
commutation or pardon prior to the governor leaving office or upon expiration of the
governor's term.
B.(1) A first offender never previously convicted of a felony shall be pardoned
automatically upon completion of his sentence without a recommendation of the Board of
Pardons and without action by the governor.
(2) No person convicted of a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541 or determined to
be a sexually violent predator or a child predator under the provisions of R.S. 15:542.1 et
seq. shall be exempt from the registration requirements of R.S. 15:542.1 et seq., as a result
of a pardon under the provisions of this Subsection.
(3) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no pardon shall be issued
to a first offender unless that person has paid all of the court costs which were imposed in
connection with the conviction of the crime for which the pardon is to be issued.
C. For the purposes of this Section, "first offender" means a person convicted within
this state of a felony but never previously convicted of a felony within this state or convicted
under the laws of any other state or of the United States or of any foreign government or
country of a crime which, if committed in this state, would have been a felony, regardless of
any previous convictions for any misdemeanors. Convictions in other jurisdictions which
do not have counterparts in this state will be classified according to the laws of the
jurisdiction of conviction.
D. On the day that an individual completes his sentence the Division of Probation
and Parole of the Department of Corrections, after satisfying itself that (1) the individual is
a first offender as defined herein and (2) the individual has completed his sentence shall issue
a certificate recognizing and proclaiming that the petitioner is fully pardoned for the offense,
and that he has all rights of citizenship and franchise, and shall transmit a copy of the
certificate to the individual and to the clerk of court in and for the parish where the
conviction occurred. This copy shall be filed in the record of the proceedings in which the
conviction was obtained. However, once an automatic pardon is granted under the
provisions of this Section, the individual who received such pardon shall not be entitled to
receive another automatic pardon.
E. Notwithstanding any provision herein contained to the contrary, any person
receiving a pardon under the provisions of Subparagraph (1) of Paragraph (E) of Section 5
of Article IV of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 and this Section may be charged and
punished as a second or multiple offender as provided in R.S. 15:529.1.

Legislative History

Acts 1968, No. 186, §1; Acts 1975, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 28, 1975; Acts 1975, No. 593, §1, eff. July 1, 1975; Acts 2003, No. 821, §1; Acts 2003, No. 1145, §1; Acts 2024, No. 660, §1.