BOISE BENCH, Idaho — Joe Howell now owns and operates Joe's House, halfway homes on the Boise Bench that give people who have been incarcerated a chance to start over. This year, he reached a milestone of his own — a pardon that he said helps him put his past behind him.
WATCH: Why Joe’s House owner wanted to apply for a pardon from a 1999 conviction
"I was in disbelief," Howell said. "It was one of my happier moments I've had in my life."
Howell was granted a pardon in October, but the conviction behind that pardon goes back more than two decades. He grew up in Boise, competing in 4-H and even winning awards. But by high school, he said things started to shift.
"I found a group of kids that I thought I fit in with, the potheads and the troublemakers," Howell said.
In 1999, at just 18 years old, Howell was convicted of a felony for delivering a controlled substance.
"I thought doing drugs and selling drugs was cool. Just doing what I think young kids do that don't have direction, right?" Howell said.
READ MORE | Inside Joe’s House: How one Boise man is changing reentry housing for formerly incarcerated men
Howell eventually served his time and said he got off parole in 2010. But a pardon is something different.
The Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole said people seek them for different reasons — sometimes to show they've changed, or to help with things like housing, employment or volunteering at their child's school.
Howell explained for him it meant closure.
"It's just a conclusion to that chapter of my life. I can't even picture myself ever spending another day in jail or living the way that I used to live," Howell said.
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The pardon process can take years. Applicants must meet state requirements and make their case before the commission. Howell applied in 2017 and was denied. He tried again a few years later and was denied again.
This year, the commission received 52 pardon requests and granted 39. One of those pardons went to Howell.
"I'm a pretty different person than I was when I applied previously. I haven't drank alcohol in over five years now, so that's a big change from when I previously had applied," Howell said.
Now, Howell spends his days working with people trying to write their own next chapter.
"Our past doesn't really have to dictate who we are. It's more about where we're going and what we're doing," Howell said.
Learn more about Joe's House and their homes on the Boise Bench with our previous story.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
