President Joe Biden issued pardons on Thursday for 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes as part of the largest single-day act of clemency in modern U.S. history. One of those individuals who received a pardon lives in the District.
Norman Brown, 56, served 20 years in prison for a nonviolent drug conviction when he was 22 years old. In 2015, he was granted clemency by President Barack Obama. He filled the paperwork to receive a full pardon, but told WTOP he understood it was a long shot and was “praying for the outcome.”
Once he learned he was one of the chosen few to get a full pardon, Brown said it felt “awesome.”
“I am a free citizen once again and I can go and come as I please when I please,” Brown said. “That means the world to me.”
According to the White House, had Brown been sentenced based on current laws and standards, he would have received a shorter sentence. Since his release in 2015, Brown has worked with several nonprofit organizations that he said works to help kids stay out of trouble and assisting those who’ve been in prison transition back into society.
“We have a lot of men and women that are trying to prevent young people from making some mistakes they may regret,” Brown, who currently works as a program manager for the Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services, said.
Brown was one of three people from the D.C. area to receive a pardon by Biden.
Arthur Byrd, 58, of Clinton, Maryland, pleaded guilty to nonviolent offenses at 23 years old and now works as an equipment operator. Brandon Sergio Castroflay, 49, of Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty to drug-related charges at 21 years old and now volunteers for several charitable organizations that support Gold Star families and wounded service members.
Since receiving the call, Brown shared the news with his immediate family. While he’s tried to keep an “even-keeled” composure, Brown told WTOP it has taken a while for it to “sink in that I am totally free.”
However, he wants others to know redemption is real.
“We have to make the necessary changes in our life and then we have to rely on a bigger power than ourselves, by whatever name you want to call him, to let you know that it is real, it does work,” Brown said. “I’m a living example of that.”
