Friday, January 17, 2025 - President Joe Biden on Friday, January 17, commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 individuals convicted of non-violent drug offences, marking what the White House called the largest single-day act of clemency in US history.
Those whose sentences were commuted were serving what Biden
described as "disproportionately long sentences" compared to what
they would receive under current sentencing laws.
Biden emphasized that the decision was an important step in
“righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing
deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families.” He further
stated, “With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and
commutations than any president in US history.” He also suggested that he may
issue additional commutations or pardons before President-elect Donald Trump
assumes office on Monday.
In December, Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500
individuals and pardoned 39 others, including his son, Hunter Biden, who was
facing potential prison time following convictions related to gun and tax
crimes.
Biden has also been reportedly considering issuing blanket
pardons for some of his allies and former officials, amid concerns that they
could face “retribution” as previously suggested by Trump. In addition to these
actions, Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 inmates on federal
death row. The three individuals excluded from this decision were a 2013 Boston
Marathon bomber, a gunman who killed 11 Jewish worshippers in 2018, and a white
supremacist responsible for the 2015 shooting at a Black church.
Trump, who has signalled his intention to resume federal
executions, had paused them during Biden's tenure.
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