Convicted Jail Guard Doesn't Get 2nd Chance Because Crimes Too Severe

By Marc Fortier

Patch regional editor


The Executive Council voted 3-2 Wednesday to deny a pardon for a former Seabrook resident who served jail time for burglarizing Seacoast homes as a teenager in 2004.

Thomas Schoolcraft, 28, sought the pardon because he said he was "turning his life around" and wanted to advance his career in law enforcement. He said he needed a pardon to advance past his position. Until a week and a half ago, he worked as a corrections officer at the Cheshire County House of Corrections, but he said Wednesday that he had to leave that job for financial reasons because it was too long of a commute to graduate school.

He now faces an uphill battle to find law enforcement employment, as felons aren't allowed to work in a New Hampshire state prison, the probation or parole system, or for other law enforcement agencies.

"I'm gonna face some obstacles," he said Wednesday. "A conviction makes things very difficult... I'm just going forward and trying to stay positive. It's hard, but at the same time, I have to let go. Ever since the beginning, it's been out of my power."

Schoolcraft said it's unlikely he'll pursue a pardon in the future, as it would be hard for him to generate the groundswell of support he did this time around.

Executive Councilors Ray Burton and Debora Pignatelli voted for the pardon, with councilors Chris Sununu, Chris Pappas and Colin Van Ostern voting against it. All of the councilors praised Schoolcraft for turning his life around, but some said they felt the crimes were too recent and too severe to warrant a pardon.

"You go down a very slippery slope with pardons," Sununu said. "There was no injustice in this. He did admit his guilt. This is a man who invaded the homes of nine people. He went in at night, sometimes when people were sleeping in their beds. That's a horribly terrifying thing.

"This was not just some one time act... It's very fresh in people's minds, very fresh in the victims' minds," Sununu added. "His work is commendable at corrections, but to offer a pardon because he wants advancement at his job, to me it's kind of black and white, it's kind of a no brainer. It's just not appropriate."

"I commend him for what he's done," said Pappas. "But it's less than a decade since these crimes were committed." At least one victim who was contacted, he said, "felt very uneasy about this process going forward."

Van Ostern called Schoolcraft "a remarkable young man with a bright future," but said a pardon is "just not appropriate" in this case.

Burton said he supported the pardon request because he believes strongly that rehabilitation is part of the corrections process.

Pignatelli said she felt Schoolcraft was deserving of a pardon because he has done "exceptional things with his life," and she wants to see that continue. She encouraged him to apply for a pardon again in a couple years.