INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Governor Mike Pence says he wants Indiana to be a leader in giving criminals who've served their time a second chance, but he hasn't granted a single pardon during his first two years in office.

The conservative Republican says he hasn't granted any pardons because he has a “heavy bias'' for due process of law. Pence tells The Journal Gazette that's “a high hurdle'' for him to cross.

A pardon is executive forgiveness for a crime which removes penalties such as not being able to get a gun license. They're granted only after at least five years has passed since someone convicted of a crime completes their sentence.

<p>Pardons aren't the same as commuting a sentence or clemency, where an inmate is released before a sentence is satisfied.