The Mejia administration’s Pardons Commission announced it could pardon the sentences of another 600 inmates by 27 February. During the four-year term of President Leonel Fernandez a total of 572 prisoners were pardoned. During the first three years of the Mejia administration, however, 2,588 individuals have been excused from their jail terms, including 1,432 in 2003. The pardons have been at times controversial, with the cases of several murderers and noted drug traffickers, who did not meet the requirements for pardon, being awarded early releases.
In its editorial commentary, Diario Libre said that the pardons granted during the Mejia administration had become a “mockery of society and a new source of injustice.” The government announced that the Pardons Commission would now be known as the National Commission for Penitentiary Evaluations.