Thousands of former youth offenders from New York will receive conditional pardons. Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday night that he would issue the pardons to those convicted of nonviolent crimes at ages 16 or 17.

Particularly, ABC reported that the pardons will be given to about 10,000 offenders that had the misdemeanor and nonviolent felony verdicts but since then lived a law-abiding life and not committing any succeeding crimes at least after 10 years.

"Under his plan, Mr. Cuomo intends to invite those people to apply for - and virtually be assured of receiving - a governor's pardon, as long as they meet several other criteria," noted the report.

Receiving a pardon will mean that these former offenders will not have to disclose their previous convictions when applying for a job and other services, looking for employment, buying a house and more.

"If you say now that you've been convicted of a crime on a job application, it is very, very hard to get a job," Cuomo said to WNYC-FM, as reported on Independent. "My feeling is if you made a mistake when you were 16 or 17 that actually led to a conviction of a crime, but you didn't commit any other crime for 10 years, then we will conditionally pardon you and let you get on with your life and remove the obstacle."

The office of the New York governor is planning to start the outreach with those who were convicted in 2004. They will be invited to apply for a pardon through the official state website.

The governor's office plans to do outreach, starting with those convicted in 2004, who will be invited to apply through a state website, and working backwards.

NY.Gov, as cited on Independent, noted that clemency application comes in two different forms, which is "commutation of sentence and pardons." As explained on the site, "a commutation is a sentence reduction and a pardon provides unique relief for individuals who have completed their sentences but remain disadvantaged by their criminal history."

The New York Democrat shared that providing pardons to eligible applicants is a "way to help people get on with their life," NY Times reported. People tend to make mistakes especially when they are young, however, with the pardon, maybe, these youthful offenders do not have to shoulder the weight for their entire lives.

The publication also noted that Cuomo had been regarded as ungenerous when bestowing clemency as he only provided nine commutations of sentences or pardons during his almost five years of being the governor. However, with this new plan, the process will definitely move quicker, with officials estimating that around 10,000 New Yorkers may qualify immediately for the pardon.

Watch the video below from Wochit News to learn more about Governor Cuomo's plans to offer pardon to former juvenile offenders.