President Biden announced Friday morning that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates as he nears the end of his presidency.
The commutations are for people convicted of non-violent drug offenses “who are serving disproportionately long sentences” compared to what they would have received if convicted under today’s law.
“Today’s clemency action provides relief to individuals who received lengthy sentences based on the discredited differences between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug-related crimes,” Biden said in a statement.
The president said now is the time to “equalize these sentencing disparities” as recognized by the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 and the First Step Act of 2018.
BIDEN REDUCES THE SENTENCES OF 37 FEDERAL DEATH CONTEMPTS IN THE LAST MONTH OF THE PRESIDENCY
President Biden issued another clemency act reducing the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates convicted of nonviolent drug offenses in the final days of his presidency. (AP/Ben Curtis)
“This action is an important step toward righting historical injustices, correcting disparities in sentencing, and giving deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending too much time behind bars,” he continued.
The decision puts Biden thousands of cases ahead of all other presidents who have issued pardons during their terms.
“Through this process, I have issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in US history,” Biden said.
Following Friday’s pardon decision, Biden has issued more individual pardons and commutations than any other US president. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
BIDEN SETS RECORD WITH PARDONS IN FIRST TERM, THIS IS HOW THE OTHER PRESIDENTS DID
While granting pardons is not unusual for a president, Biden has come under bipartisan criticism over who he decides to pardon or commute.
In late December, he decided to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on death row – helping them avoid execution and instead sending them to life in prison without parole.
He was also criticized for pardoning his son, Hunter, for all crimes he “committed or may have committed” against US law from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024. Hunter was convicted last year of gun and tax offenses in two separate federal cases.
President Biden has been criticized by both political parties for his decision to pardon his son Hunter for all crimes he committed or could have committed over a 10-year period. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Biden also boasted that he was done “the greatest one-day pardon” on Dec. 12 when he commuted the sentences of 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others, most of whom were already serving time under house arrest for decisions made during the COVID-19 era.
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The president added that he is “proud of [his] pardon record” and said he would “continue to review additional commutations and pardons” before his last full day in office on January 19.
There are 1,947 people awaiting clemency after serving their sentences and about 6,625 cases awaiting commutation after Friday’s decision, according to Statistics from January 13 from the Ministry of Justice.
