Gov. Gavin Newsom pardons Southern California servicemen on Veterans Day

On Veterans Day, Gov. Gavin Newsom pardoned five servicemen for their past crimes in Southern California.

Under the California Constitution, the governor can grant clemency to a convicted criminal. Clemency refers to the governor's power to pardon, commute or reprieve a sentence, and plays an important part in corrections and rehabilitation, allowing the governor to influence criminal justice in several ways, including correcting unjust results in the legal system, according to Newsom's office. 

Similar to the presidential powers in the federal criminal justice system, pardons restore certain rights people lose after a conviction, such as serving on a jury or obtaining some professional licenses. However, pardons in California slightly differ from the federal statute as it does not explicitly forgive the person's crimes but acknowledges that it happened and the positive growth the individual made, according to UCLA School of Law. 

Commutation and reprieves reduce or suspend the person's sentence in California prison, however, reprieves are temporary. 

The five veterans, who served honorably in the armed forces, were convicted of crimes such as robbery and drug charges decades ago, according to the governor's office. 

The most recent conviction happened in 1994, while the oldest happened in 1966. 

Newsom prefaced the pardons with the state's initiative to invest in veterans' mental health, 

"California's veterans have dedicated their lives to protecting our country, and it is our duty – and our honor – to ensure that we provide for them and their families when they return home. These investments will help us expand access to and develop even more lifesaving supports for all our veterans," Newsom said on Nov. 10.