Show HN: Pardonned.com – A searchable database of US Pardons

Article summary

The author created a searchable database of US pardons, Pardonned.com, inspired by videos from Liz Oyer, to verify claims and easily look up pardons. The database uses Playwright to scrape the DOJ website, SQLite as a local database, and Astro 6 to build a static website. The code is open source and available on Github. The database currently does not include January 6th pardons, but the author is working on adding them and creating a comparison tool to visualize pardons by president.

Main themes

• Pardon system abuse
• Political gain and corruption
• Sentencing laws and prison reform
• Data analysis and transparency
• Preemptive pardons and potential crimes
• Historical comparisons and context

What commenters say

• The pardon system is being wielded as a tool for political gain and potentially for sale to the highest bidder.
• The increasing number of pardons may be due to stricter sentencing laws in the 90s and the need to release prisoners due to overcrowding.
• Some pardons may be preemptive, allowing individuals to avoid prosecution for potential crimes.
• The database should be expanded to include analysis of the types of crimes being pardoned and the potential financial interests involved.
• The pardon system can be compared to the old Catholic practice of papal indulgences, where forgiveness is granted for a price.
• The data on pardons is not always consistently presented, making it difficult to compare across different presidents and administrations.
• The inclusion of restitution and fines abandoned in pardon data could provide insight into potential corruption and abuse of the pardon system.
• Some commenters believe that the pardon system is being intentionally obfuscated or manipulated for political gain.