Gov. Rauner grants 5 clemency petitions, rejects 197

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has granted five petitions for clemency and denied 197 others.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board said Friday the granted cases involve attempted burglary, theft and drug charges.

A petitioner granted clemency is allowed to go to court to seek expungement of a criminal record. Each person granted clemency has undergone a background check.

In December, Rauner announced had eliminated a backlog of thousands of clemency requests inherited under previous governors.

Rauner’s office says the clemencies announced Friday mark the 17th set of petitions the Republican has reviewed since taking office in 2015.