For many men and women incarcerated across the United States, once all legal options for release have been exhausted, there is often one last avenue to hope for: clemency.

Clemency in most states is at the discretion of a single person – the governor. This is not to be confused with presidential pardons, as the president can only grant clemency in federal cases, while state-level clemency sits with state governors. Governors hold an incredible power: the ability to effectively give someone their life back, someone who might otherwise be condemned to die behind bars.

Of course, like most things, it’s never guaranteed. The exact number of clemencies granted isn’t clear, but it’s fair to say that, compared to the number of people incarcerated, the figure is extremely small. For a fortunate few, though, that mercy does come.

Today I speak with one of those people. A man whose story we covered some time ago.

Shawn Robert Johnson was staring down a minimum of more than 60 years in prison before he would even be eligible for parole. Instead, this Christmas he will be going home to his family after just shy of 20 years behind bars.

Today we catch up to talk about how it happened – and what his plans are for life on the outside.

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