College of Engineering

Ryan Won

College of Engineering Electrical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Youngmoo Kim

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Dr. Brandon Morton Co-Mentor

Innovative Web Application for an Easier Pardon Process

With the wealth of background information that is available publicly, possessing any criminal record offers a major disadvantage to job or loan applicants. This disadvantage exists even if the record only consists of a low degree misdemeanor that occurred decades ago. While it is possible to receive a pardon, the lengthy and complicated process often dissuades eligible people from applying for one. The Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE), a non-profit legal aid group that advocates for low-income individuals in the Pennsylvania criminal justice system, has partnered with Drexel’s ExCITe Center to create a web application to shorten and simplify the pardon application process. In this project, I designed an interactive walkthrough of the form to reduce the tediousness of filling out information. The walkthrough features an achievements system to encourage and reward in-depth answers to questions. In addition, I structured the website to break up the information into easily digestible chunks to enhance readability. Although it remains in the early developmental stages, the web application continues to focus on assisting local low-income Philadelphians of all educational backgrounds to get the pardons they require.