Final answer:
In legal terms, a reprieve is a temporary halt to a sentence, a pardon is an act that forgives a crime and its penalties, and to commute a sentence is to reduce its severity. These terms are associated with executive powers held by presidents and governors to intervene in the judicial process.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the legal context, reprieve, pardon, and commute are terms associated with executive clemency, a power often exercised by governors and presidents to intervene in the judicial process.
- A reprieve is a temporary delay in the execution of a sentence, especially a death sentence. It's a form of temporary relief that allows for additional examination or consideration of new evidence.
- A pardon is an act of executive clemency that absolves an individual of the blame for a crime and, as a result, removes all penalties and disabilities resulting from the conviction. It can lead to the release of a person from punishment and restores their rights.
- To commute a sentence means to reduce the severity of a punishment without nullifying the conviction itself. It might result in a lesser penalty, like reducing a death sentence to life imprisonment or shortening the term of incarceration.
These actions are often considered when there are doubts about guilt, concerns about harshness of sentences, or issues such as the mental health of the convict. For historical context, governors of New Jersey and Illinois have commuted the sentences of all inmates on death row before abolishing the death penalty in their states.