Majority of Kentucky Inmates Released by Governor’s COVID Commutations Committed Felonies

Nearly 70% of all inmates released by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) through commutations during the coronavirus pandemic went on to re-offend, with some committing violent felonies like assault and homicide, according to a report ordered by Kentucky’s state legislature.

The report, produced by Kentucky’s Department of Information and Technology Services, found that of the 1,702 individuals whose sentences were commuted by Beshear in 2020, a majority of them, 882, went on to commit felonies. An additional 252 committed misdemeanors, leaving just over 500 who committed no crimes.

Beshear commuted criminal sentences through two distinct executive orders, both of which were examined in the report. of those from the April 3, 2020, release cohort “68% of individuals … have had at least one criminal case including at least a misdemeanor charge filed against them since release.” The reoffending rate was nearly identical for those released on August 24, 2020, with the report finding that “69% of individuals …have had at least one criminal case including at least a misdemeanor charge filed against them.”

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