Biden Commutes Roughly 1,500 Sentences and Pardons 39 People in Largest Single-Day Act of Clemency

President Biden has announced that he is commuting the sentences of approximately 1,500 individuals who had been released from prison and placed under home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, he is granting pardons to 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent offenses. This marks the largest single-day act of clemency in the modern era.

The commutations, which were revealed on Thursday, pertain to individuals who had served at least one year of home confinement after being released. During the pandemic, prisons were notably vulnerable to the spread of the virus, and some prisoners were let out as a measure to prevent further transmission.

At one point, the Associated Press reported, one in five prisoners was infected with COVID-19. In response, Biden indicated that he would continue to take further action in the coming weeks and will keep reviewing clemency requests.

The second-largest act of clemency in recent history occurred in 2017 when President Barack Obama granted 330 commutations just before he left office.

“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden stated in a release. “As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses.”

This clemency move follows a broader pardon for Biden’s son, Hunter, who faced charges for gun-related offenses and tax issues.

Biden is under pressure from advocacy groups to issue pardons to more individuals, including those on federal death row, before the end of his term in January, as well as considering pardons for those who investigated Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, fearing retribution once Trump returns to office.

Those who were pardoned on Thursday had been convicted of nonviolent crimes, such as drug offenses, and have since turned their lives around, according to White House officials. The group includes a woman who led emergency response efforts during disasters, a church deacon who works as an addiction and youth counselor, a molecular biosciences doctoral student, and a decorated veteran.

Previously, Biden had granted 122 commutations and 21 pardons. He has also issued broad pardons for those convicted of marijuana-related offenses on federal lands and in Washington, D.C.

Representative Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and 34 other lawmakers are urging Biden to pardon environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger, who served time under house arrest for three years due to a contempt charge related to his advocacy for Indigenous farmers suing Chevron.

There are also calls for Biden to commute the sentences of those on federal death row, with Attorney General Merrick Garland halting federal executions. Biden had pledged during his 2020 campaign to abolish the death penalty, though he never followed through, and with Trump’s return to office, executions may resume. During Trump’s first term, federal executions reached an unprecedented number, many of which occurred during the height of the pandemic.

Before leaving office on January 20, Biden is expected to issue more pardons, though it remains uncertain whether he will act to shield individuals from potential prosecution by Trump, a novel use of presidential pardon power.

The president has reportedly been seriously considering this for as long as six months, even before the election, but is wary of setting a problematic precedent, according to sources who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press.

However, those receiving pardons would need to accept them. Newly elected California Senator Adam Schiff, who led the investigation into the January 6 Capitol insurrection, argued that such pardons from Biden would be “unnecessary,” urging the president not to spend his final days in office on such matters.

A president holds the authority to grant pardons, which exonerate individuals from both guilt and punishment, or commutations, which reduce sentences but do not eliminate the underlying offenses. Typically, presidents use their clemency powers at the end of their terms to clear records or end prison sentences.

Before issuing a pardon for his son, Biden had repeatedly stated that he would not do so. Explaining his change of heart, he mentioned that the prosecution had been influenced by political factors. His decision to pardon Hunter drew significant criticism from criminal justice advocates, who have since pressured the administration to extend clemency to more individuals. This move was not widely popular, with only about 20% of Americans approving, according to an AP-NORC poll.

{Matzav.com}