One of the best innovations in justice in recent decades has been the introduction of Alternative Measures.
One of the surest ways of perpetuating the cycle of crime is to limit a person's options. And few things limit options as much these days as a criminal record.
Giving good people, who have paid their debt to society, a chance to live criminal record-free was also one of the purposes of pardons. Everyone is entitled to a mistake. And usually people make those mistakes when they are young. Almost everyone deserves a second chance.
For those unfamiliar with the concept of Alt Measures, it is kind of like a one-time-only, get-out-of-jail-free card. A chance to walk away from that first mistake without a criminal record.
Or, as Judge Koskie likes to say, "It's the best deal you get in this court, right, so, make sure you take advantage of it," or something pretty close to that.
Eligibility is based on both the person and the crime. It is telling about the values of society what crimes are not eligible. Most of that list is pretty much common sense: murder, sex crimes involving children etc.
The surprising one though, is impaired driving. It is not eligible. Basically, society views drunk driving as more serious than assault, which is eligible.
I've written about this before in more detail, but the bottom line is: Don't drink and drive.
