Jelly Roll receives pardon recommendation from Tennessee parole board

The Tennessee Board of Parole has recommended a pardon for award-winning country singer Jelly Roll, the AP reports. 

The board, which has been considering the “Wild Ones” singer’s application since last October, came to its unanimous, non-bonding recommendation after a one-hour-and-45-minute-long hearing on Tuesday that saw several witnesses — including Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall — champion Jelly and his character, per the outlet. One member recused themselves from the vote. 

“A year ago, I wrote [Tennessee Governor Bill Lee] ⁩asking for a full Pardon for Jason ‘Jelly Roll’ DeFord,” Hall wrote on X. “Today the Board unanimously recommended his Pardon. It’s now in the hands of our Governor.” 

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The singer, who has been open about his criminal past in recent years, called the board’s decision “incredible” in a statement to the outlet. “I pray this goes through,” he said. “But today was special for me, regardless.”

At the hearing, Jelly explained to the board that he hopes to receive a pardon so that he can tour internationally, which has proven to be difficult due to his criminal record, per the AP. He also reportedly expressed his desire to use the pardon to complete missionary work abroad in his later years.

“I want to be an inspiration for people who are now where I used to be — to let them know that change is truly possible,” he told the board, per the outlet. “One of the reasons I’m asking for your recommendation for this pardon is because I’m looking to take my message of redemption through the power of music and faith through the rest of the world.”

Jelly, who was first arrested at 14 years old, has been jailed more than 40 times throughout his life on multiple drug offenses. He was also convicted of aggravated robbery at age 17, for which he served a year in prison and seven years on probation, Billboard reports. 

Last October, Jelly shared on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast that he hopes to speak with the people whom he robbed in order to apologize and ask for their forgiveness. 

“I had no business taking from anybody,” he said at the time. “Just the entitlement that I had, that the world owed me enough that I could come take your stuff. It’s just what a horrible, horrible way to look at life and people. What a horrible way to interact with the Earth.”

Jelly also noted that he hoped that the individuals involved would see “that I’ve made it my life’s mission to change” for the better. “I’m trying to diligently prove myself that I’ve not only changed, but also I took the platform serious and that it’s making me change more every day,” he added. “I hope they would forgive me.”

The singer has also made headlines in recent years for visiting jails and rehabilitation centers while performing out on the road. He also donated an entire recording studio to Nashville’s Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center — the place where he discovered his passion for music while incarcerated as a teenager — in 2022.