When people talk about clemency, the conversation often drifts toward symbolism — mercy, forgiveness, second chances. What gets talked about far less is what a pardon actually does on the ground, in real communities, long after the sentence has been served.
In East Tennessee, one answer can be found in Clinton.
New Purpose is a recovery-focused business built around a simple idea: people leaving incarceration don’t fail because they lack supervision — they fail because they lack structure, employment, and accountability that treats them like adults with something to lose. The organization exists to bridge that gap, providing lawful work, expectations, and a pathway back into the workforce for men who have already paid their debt to the justice system.
Its founder, Alan Roberts, understands those barriers firsthand.
In December 2025, Roberts received a gubernatorial pardon after more than a decade of sustained recovery and community involvement. The pardon did not erase his past or rewrite history. Instead, it removed legal obstacles that limited his ability to operate fully in the very reentry space policymakers routinely say they want to strengthen.
That distinction matters.
A pardon is not a declaration of innocence. It is an official acknowledgment that punishment has been served and that continued legal restrictions no longer serve public safety. In Tennessee, a pardon can open the door to professional licensing, bonding, contracting, and long-term business viability — the exact mechanisms required for stable employment and reduced recidivism.
New Purpose operates at the intersection of those realities. Based in Anderson County, it provides work opportunities tied to recovery expectations, accountability, and mentorship. Participants aren’t shielded from responsibility; they are surrounded by it. Showing up matters. Performance matters. Conduct matters.
That model aligns closely with what decades of criminal justice research has already established: employment is one of the strongest predictors of successful reentry. Stable work reduces the likelihood of reoffending, lowers reliance on emergency services, and strengthens families that would otherwise remain in crisis.
And yet, many people leaving jail or prison are locked out of employment not because of current behavior, but because of permanent legal and practical barriers attached to past convictions. Employers hesitate. Licenses are denied. Contracts are inaccessible. The result is predictable — people cycle back into the system not because they want to, but because options narrow.
Clemency, when used carefully, addresses that problem at its source.
Roberts’ pardon did not create New Purpose. The work was already happening. What it did was remove friction — allowing the organization to expand partnerships, pursue contracts, and operate with the same legitimacy afforded to any other business contributing to the local economy.
That’s the part of reentry the public rarely sees.
Public safety does not end at sentencing. It continues in job interviews, payroll systems, insurance policies, and business licenses. It lives in whether someone can build something stable instead of returning to what is familiar — and destructive.
New Purpose represents a version of reentry that is neither naïve nor lenient. It is structured, demanding, and rooted in the belief that accountability does not end when someone leaves prison — it begins there.
In East Tennessee, that approach is producing something the justice system alone cannot: fewer victims, stronger communities, and people with a real stake in staying free.
That is what a pardon looks like when it works.
Det. Brandon Burley (Ret.), M.P.A., is a criminal justice educator whose academic work focuses on reducing recidivism through public policy. He has authored several criminal justice books and has been published in national law enforcement publications.
Follow Detective Burley on Facebook.
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