 The most noted prerogative power that affects the judicial system is the prerogative of mercy , which has two elements : the granting of <unk> and the granting of <unk> <unk> . <unk> may eliminate the " pains , penalties and punishments " from a criminal conviction , though they do not remove convictions themselves . This power is commonly exercised on the advice of the Secretary of State for the Home Department ; the monarch has no direct involvement in its use . <unk> of this power may also take the form of <unk> , a limited form of pardon where the sentences is reduced , on certain conditions . The granting of a pardon is not subject to judicial review , as confirmed by Council of Civil Service <unk> v Minister for the Civil Service , but the courts have chosen to <unk> its application or lack <unk> , as in R v Secretary of State for the Home Department , ex parte Bentley . <unk> <unk> <unk> is done by the Attorney General of England and Wales ( or the equivalent in Scotland or Northern Ireland ) in the name of the crown , to stop legal proceedings against an individual . This is not <unk> by the courts , as confirmed by R v Comptroller of Patents , and does not count as an <unk> ; the defendant may be brought before the courts on the same charge at a later date . 
