President Joe Biden began his fourth-to-last-day in office by announcing the commutations of prison sentences for thousands of nonviolent drug offenders. The presidential action makes Biden the president with the most pardons and sentence commutations in the nation’s history, a fact he touted in a statement Friday morning.
“Today, I am commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses who are serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice,” Biden said in a statement. “With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history.”
One of the laws Biden is referring to is the Fair Sentencing Act. This legislation implemented drastic changes in the criminal justice system regarding drug possession. The law reduced statutory penalties for crack cocaine and eliminated the five-year mandatory minimum sentencing for first-time possession of the drug. The law went into effect in 2010, when Biden was vice president and were part of the Obama administration’s criminal justice reforms.
In recent months, multiple Congressional Democrats were urging Biden for sentence commutations of those allegedly affected by sentence disparities, CBS News reported. Their efforts were predicated on their beliefs that the original sentences in many of these cases were harsh and disproportionately “harmed communities of color.”
“I believe that this president has definitely shown himself to be someone that is willing to listen and willing to learn and decide that he would do something within his power,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who spearheaded the most recent sentence commutation initiative.
“Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden said. “As Congress recognized through the Fair Sentencing Act and the First Step Act, it is time that we equalize these sentencing disparities.”
Biden celebrated his sentence commutations as integral in correcting criminal justice errors in the past and provided a new path forward for those convicted of such crimes. He also suggested there might be more pardons and commutations before he officially leaves office.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars,” he said.
“I am proud of my record on clemency and will continue to review additional commutations and pardons,” Biden added.
