Baldacci makes first commutation

Gov. John Baldacci has just commuted his first prison sentence, reducing the sentence of Carol Graves by 18 months, his office announced today.

Graves was convicted of manslaughter in June 1997 for killing her father.

The commutation was recommended by the Governor’s Board on Executive Clemency.

In a release, Baldacci noted abuse growing up and also good behavior in prison. He said:

“Twelve years ago, Ms. Graves was involved in a violent act that ended in the death of her father. But the violence did not begin or end on that day in May. For more than 30 years, Ms. Graves had been severely abused. That’s not an excuse, but it does help to explain what happened that day. Our understanding of Battered Women’s Syndrome and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has advanced greatly since 1996. Ms. Graves has served a long sentence, and she has earned an opportunity to show she has turned her life around.”

This is Baldacci’s first commutation in the six years he has been in office.