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La. Rev. Stat. § 15:572 (2026)

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

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CHAPTER 5. REPRIEVE, PARDON, AND PAROLE

PART I. REPRIEVE AND PARDON

§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.

           Amended by 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, eff. August 1, 2024.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 59 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1953–2026 · leading case: Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390 (1993).
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Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390 (1993). · cites it 2× “IV, § 5(E), La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 15:572 (West 1992); Md.”
State v. Moore, 847 So. 2d 53 (La. Ct. App. 2003). · cites it 9× “R.S. 15:572 and La. Const. art. IV, section (E)(1).”
State v. Wiggins, 432 So. 2d 234 (La. 1983). · cites it 6× “R.S. 15:572(B) tracks the language of the above constitutional article in legislatively implementing the automatic pardon provision for first felony offenders.”
Ohio Adult Parole Auth. v. Woodard, 523 U.S. 272 (1998). · cites it 2× “IV, § 5(E), La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 15:572 (West 1992); Md.”
State v. Derouin, 778 So. 2d 1186 (La. Ct. App. 2001). · cites it 10× “R.S. 15:572 is silent concerning its effect on the sentencing pursuant to La.”
Bosworth v. Whitley, 627 So. 2d 629 (La. 1993). · cites it 4× “This constitutional delegation of power to the executive underpins Louisiana's statutory provisions on clemency, which include reprieve, pardon, and commutation of sentence, found at La.Rev.Stat.Ann. § 15:572 (West 1992), et seq.”
State v. Castillo, 167 So. 3d 624 (La. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 4× “In this assignment of error, 11 defendant argues that the trial judge erred by dismissing a juror, Rena Washington, from the venire due to a prior felony conviction.”
Ricky J. Terrebonne v. Frank Blackburn, Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary, 646 F.2d 997 (5th Cir. 1981). · cites it 3× “4, § 5; La.Rev.Stat.Ann. § 15:572. As approached by the plurality, this case presents two questions: (1) Is the statutory scheme under which Terrebonne was sentenced, which imposed a mandatory sentence for life subject to possible suspension of the sentence or subsequent…”
State v. Eberhardt, 145 So. 3d 377 (La. 2014). · cites it 2× “Eberhardt also cites the first offender pardon he received from the Department of Public Safety and Corrections ("DPSC") after completing his probation; the June 24, 2010 DPSC notice stated that Eberhardt had completed his sentence for unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling…”
State v. Dick, 951 So. 2d 124 (La. 2007). “I concur in the result, i.e., that the person must apply to the Louisiana Risk Review Panel under La.”
Session v. State, 887 S.E.2d 317 (Ga. 2023). · cites it 2× “In 2004, after completing his sentence, Session received a first-offender pardon pursuant to Louisiana R.S. 15:572. At some point, Session moved to Texas.”
Malone v. Shyne, 937 So. 2d 343 (La. 2006). · cites it 2× “R.S. 15:572, et seq. Finally, the pardon granted to Mr.”
Show all 59 citing cases →
La. Rev. Stat. § 15:572(A): 6 cases
Malone v. Shyne, 937 So. 2d 343 (La. 2006). “R.S. 15:572, et seq. Finally, the pardon granted to Mr.”
State v. Moore, 847 So. 2d 53 (La. Ct. App. 2003). “R.S. 15:572 and La. Const. art. IV, section (E)(1).”
Hoffpauir v. State, Dep't of Pub. Saf. & Corr., 762 So. 2d 1219 (La. Ct. App. 2000).
Richey v. Hunter, 407 So. 2d 427 (La. Ct. App. 1981).
State v. Lemoine, 919 So. 2d 727 (La. Ct. App. 2005).
La. Rev. Stat. § 15:572(A)(2): 1 case
State of Louisiana v. Kendall Gordon, 418 So. 3d 13 (La. Ct. App. 2025).
La. Rev. Stat. § 15:572(B): 4 cases
State v. Wiggins, 432 So. 2d 234 (La. 1983). “R.S. 15:572(B) tracks the language of the above constitutional article in legislatively implementing the automatic pardon provision for first felony offenders.”
State v. Derouin, 778 So. 2d 1186 (La. Ct. App. 2001). “R.S. 15:572 is silent concerning its effect on the sentencing pursuant to La.”
State v. Moore, 847 So. 2d 53 (La. Ct. App. 2003). “R.S. 15:572 and La. Const. art. IV, section (E)(1).”
State v. West, 754 So. 2d 408 (La. Ct. App. 2000).
La. Rev. Stat. § 15:572(B)(1): 2 cases
State v. Castillo, 167 So. 3d 624 (La. Ct. App. 2014). “In this assignment of error, 11 defendant argues that the trial judge erred by dismissing a juror, Rena Washington, from the venire due to a prior felony conviction.”
Hang Thuy Nguyen v. United States Citizenship & Immigr. Servs., 847 F.3d 750 (5th Cir. 2017).
La. Rev. Stat. § 15:572(B)(3): 1 case
State v. Castillo, 167 So. 3d 624 (La. Ct. App. 2014). “In this assignment of error, 11 defendant argues that the trial judge erred by dismissing a juror, Rena Washington, from the venire due to a prior felony conviction.”
La. Rev. Stat. § 15:572(D): 13 cases
State v. Wiggins, 432 So. 2d 234 (La. 1983). “R.S. 15:572(B) tracks the language of the above constitutional article in legislatively implementing the automatic pardon provision for first felony offenders.”
State v. Eberhardt, 145 So. 3d 377 (La. 2014). “Eberhardt also cites the first offender pardon he received from the Department of Public Safety and Corrections ("DPSC") after completing his probation; the June 24, 2010 DPSC notice stated that Eberhardt had completed his sentence for unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling…”
State v. Draughter, 130 So. 3d 855 (La. 2013).
State v. Bannister, 88 So. 3d 628 (La. Ct. App. 2012).
State v. Castillo, 167 So. 3d 624 (La. Ct. App. 2014). “In this assignment of error, 11 defendant argues that the trial judge erred by dismissing a juror, Rena Washington, from the venire due to a prior felony conviction.”
La. Rev. Stat. § 15:572(E): 6 cases
State v. Derouin, 778 So. 2d 1186 (La. Ct. App. 2001). “R.S. 15:572 is silent concerning its effect on the sentencing pursuant to La.”
State v. Nolan, 503 So. 2d 1186 (La. Ct. App. 1987).
State v. Ballay, 757 So. 2d 115 (La. Ct. App. 2000).
State v. Armstrong, 756 So. 2d 533 (La. Ct. App. 2000).
Hang Thuy Nguyen v. United States Citizenship & Immigr. Servs., 847 F.3d 750 (5th Cir. 2017).
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