Las Vegas Sun

December 3, 2009

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Editorial: State board makes right call on pardon

Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999 | 9:44 a.m.

In 1985, 14-year-old Reginald Hayes was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. But supporters of Hayes believed he was innocent and that issues involving race -- Hayes is black -- and inadequate counsel at his trial led to a wrongful conviction. Fortunately for Hayes, he was freed by a judge in 1998 after spending 13 years in a Nevada state prison for a murder he says he only witnessed, but didn't commit.

Times haven't been easy for Hayes since his release, though. He has had trouble finding a steady job, because he has been forced to note on job applications that he is an ex-convict. So the state Pardons Board unanimously voted Tuesday to pardon him, which means he no longer has to disclose his conviction. While it can't undo the harm Hayes suffered, restoring his civil rights is the least the state of Nevada could do.

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