Governor Steve Beshear Grants Partial Pardons To Ex-Convicts.

Read more on the H-l, which excerpts appear below:

FRANKFORT, Ky. --
Gov. Steve Beshear has granted partial pardons to at least eight convicted murderers and 14 rapists over the past five months, allowing them to vote and run for office.

Kentucky Department of Corrections records provided to The Associated Press show that Beshear also granted partial pardons to 23 people convicted of felony sexual abuse.

Beshear has taken action on behalf of 747 released convicts since March, when he streamlined the process for felons seeking to have their civil rights restored.

"Those whose rights have been restored have served their time and paid their debt to society," Beshear said in a written statement. "The primary goal of the corrections system is to rehabilitate those who have committed crimes and return them as contributing members to society."

In Kentucky, convicted felons permanently lose their civil rights unless the governor intervenes.

To make it easier to regain voting privileges, Beshear dropped requirements that felons submit three letters of recommendation and write essays explaining why their requests should be granted.

Some prosecutors object to granting the partial pardons to people convicted of violent crimes.

"In my mind, I never believed those would be the types of people who would be given serious consideration," said prosecutor Linda Tally Smith, former president of the Kentucky Commonwealth's Attorney's Association. "I would think the person who fell victim to these offenders would expect they would continue to be treated as the violent offenders that they are."

In his partial pardons, Beshear restored only the right to vote and hold public office. He did not restore the right to possess weapons or to serve on juries.