Please Note: This event has expired.

The Pardon Project of York County Presents Pardon Me, a Free Documentary Film Screening and Panel Discussion.
The public is invited to attend this important FREE short documentary film screening and panel discussion featuring PARDON ME filmmaker Shuja Moore, Judge William Carpenter, York County District Attorney David Sunday, Kevin Schreiber, Laurie Besden, David Bryant, Pardon Fellow DaShawn Harrison and Reggie Johnson.
Why it matters: Pennsylvania has long been among the most heavily incarcerated and heavily supervised states in the country. When a sentence is fully completed, the conviction remains. Criminal records are available 24/7/365 over the internet and used every day, often illegally, to deny jobs, promotions, loans, housing, admission to education or trades, even volunteer activities. The only way to remove a conviction from the record is by a pardon from the Governor, and the only way to get to the Governor is through the Board of Pardons.
Pennsylvania has been on the cutting edge of pardon reform since 2019. At this free public education event attendees will learn what having a criminal record has meant to several Pennsylvanians and their families – what they have done despite those records, and how those records have not only held them back but society as well. The documentary, directed and produced by Shuja Moore, presents the case for how pardons can give individuals the opportunity to live as full citizens and help uplift the communities in which they live.
There will be Q&A with the amazing panel moderated by District Attorney David Sunday as well as an overview of the process for obtaining a pardon, how to help people in York County apply, and the need for further reforms.
ADMISSION INFO
Special thanks to all of our sponsors Appell Center for the Performing Arts, York County (PA) Bar Association/York County Bar Foundation, York County District Attorney’s Office, The Powder Mill Foundation, York County Community Foundation, Impact Academy, Fresh Start Law, PLLC, and our partners Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, The Program “It’s About Change”, the Pardon Project of York County, York County Economic Alliance, MidPenn Legal Services and York County Clerk of Courts.
INDIVIDUAL DATES & TIMES*
Additional time info:
5:00pm – Doors Open and light refreshments
5:45pm – Welcome by Victoria Connor, York County Bar Association/Foundation and Shuja Moore, Director and Producer
6:00pm – Film Screening
6:30pm – Panel Discussion with Q and A. Introductory remarks by Kevin Schreiber, York County Economic Alliance
7:30pm – Closing Remarks
Panelists:
*Shuja Moore – Filmmaker
*The Honorable William R. Carpenter, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas
*Laurie Besden, Esq. – Pardon Recipient
*David Bryant – Pardon Recipient
*DaShawn Harrison – Pardon Fellow
*C. Reginald “Reggie” Johnson, Esq. – Pardon Recipient
Registration for this free event is required.
LOCATION
50 N. George Street, York, PA 17401