Text Size
Print
Email
National News
- Text Size
- Print
- Email
Pennsylvania Unyielding In Forgiving Past Crimes
In five years, Melissa T. Benvegno of Allentown sees herself as a juvenile probation officer or even a federal border patrol agent.
Not long ago, those dreams would have been next to impossible for her, given two shoplifting convictions she had in her teens and 20s that would come up every time she applied for a job.
Benvegno says she's a different person from the girl who grew up without stable parents and spent time in foster care as a result. She's gotten an associate degree in criminal justice and is working on her bachelor's, and says she's overcome her rough upbringing and believes she could help other youths do the same.
Last year, Gov. Tom Corbett granted Benvegno a rare pardon from her misdemeanor record, ending a more than three-year process that is, in effect, the only way for someone with even a minor brush with the law to have his or her past cleared in Pennsylvania.
"I started crying," Benvegno said, remembering the moment she got the notice. "Just like I'm about to do right now. To me, it's a feeling that you can put that behind you."
Benvegno is getting a second chance — unlike most people with criminal records in Pennsylvania, which makes it very difficult for someone to move on from a misdemeanor or felony conviction.
How hard is it? Absent a pardon, you must be 70 and arrest free for 10 years to have your record expunged. Or be dead. For at least three years.
2025 The Background Investigator. All Rights Reserved.