A Nashville man who spent 16 years carrying the fallout of a 2010 conviction has finally received a pardon from Gov. Bill Lee. Kennda Watkins said the call gave him a fresh start, but Tennessee’s version of a second chance comes with some legal fine print.
Watkins was convicted of one count each of marijuana possession and weapon possession, according to WKRN News 2. He waited about two and a half years for the pardon and said he was overjoyed when Lee personally called to tell him the news.
Tennessee’s clemency process runs through the Board of Parole, which reviews applications and sends nonbinding recommendations to the governor. The state’s official guidance defines a pardon as forgiveness for an offense, while an exoneration is reserved for cases in which the governor finds that the person did not commit the crime.
Why This Matters In North Nashville
Watkins lived in ZIP code 37208, a North Nashville area with a long and complicated relationship to the criminal justice system. A Metro Nashville report notes that a 2018 Brookings Institution study found 37208 had the nation’s highest incarceration rate for a specific cohort, with nearly one in seven people born there between 1980 and 1986 incarcerated in their early 30s.
Watkins’ next chapter will include continuing his work with You Have the Power, the Nashville nonprofit founded by Andrea Conte. The organization focuses on crime prevention, victim advocacy and education, including a victim-impact curriculum for adults in prison and programs for at-risk youth, while Watkins plans to keep helping people in need around Nashville.
A Pardon Opens Doors, But Doesn’t Erase The Record
Watkins told WKRN News 2 that felony questions on loan applications can affect whether a deal or transaction moves forward. He described the pardon as life-changing because it can give employers, lenders and other institutions a different way to view his past.
The pardon does not automatically remove the conviction from public records. Under the Tennessee Board of Parole’s guidance, a pardon may make expungement possible, but clearing the record requires a separate court process. For Watkins, that paperwork could be the next step in turning a governor’s phone call into the practical fresh start he has been waiting for.
