Topline
Title: Biden Reduces Sentences for Over 2,500 Convicted of Nonviolent Drug Offenses
Joe Biden, the President, granted clemency to an unprecedented 2,500 individuals on Friday, breaking his previous record of 1,500 commutations he set in December. These individuals, all convicted of non-violent drug offenses, will now serve more time in line with current societal expectations.
Key Facts
Through these commutations, Biden acknowledged that the people he was granting clemency to have served disproportionately long sentences. He believed their sentences were unjustly long under the current law and policy. Furthermore, Biden specifically addressed the controversial distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, which led to harsher sentences for African Americans compared to white individuals.
Biden's actions over the past two months have made him the president with the most individual pardons and commutations in U.S. history.
Crucial Quote
"I am proud of my record on clemency and will continue to review additional commutations and pardons. This action is an essential step in correcting historical wrongs, rectifying sentencing disparities, and offering individuals the chance to return to their families and communities after enduring excessively long periods of incarceration."
Surprising Fact
In December, Biden set a record as the president with the most significant single-day act of clemency by commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals, convicts of non-violent crimes and pardoning 39 others.
Key Background
In December, Biden granted clemency to about 1,500 people serving their sentences at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a means to limit the virus's spread within jails. This group had been under home confinement for a minimum of one year and had demonstrated their readiness for rehabilitation by securing jobs and advancing their education.
Additionally, Biden granted 39 pardons to people who were convicted of non-violent crimes and had shown they had turned their lives around. A couple of weeks later, the president commuted the sentences of 37 death row inmates to life sentences without the possibility of parole. Biden made this decision due to the incoming Presidents-elect Donald Trump's promise to lift the moratorium on federal executions for terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder cases.
Further Reading
Biden Commutes Sentences of 37 Death Row Inmates, Says 'We Must Stop' Using Death Penalty at Federal Level (Our Website)
Biden Grants Clemency to Nearly 1,500 People (Our Website)
Biden not only commuted sentences for 1,500 individuals in December, breaking his own record, but he also pardoned 39 individuals who had demonstrated their rehabilitation after serving time for non-violent crimes. Moreover, in a following action, President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 death row inmates, stating his belief in the need to stop using the death penalty at the federal level.
