US President Joe Biden on Friday commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders, setting a record for the most individual pardons and commutations issued by a president. The move aims to reverse “disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice,” according to Biden.
The president made the announcement on social media platform X, saying, “Today, I’m commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
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This is an important step toward righting historic wrongs and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their communities after far too much time behind bars.”
Biden said that the clemency action offers relief to individuals who had been subjected to lengthy sentences due to discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine and outdated sentencing enhancements for drug offenses.
“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who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes. 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 added.
The White House did not release the names of those receiving commutations, but Biden said that he would continue to review additional cases before President-elect Donald Trump‘s inauguration on Monday.
The decision comes as Biden considers granting broad pardons to officials and allies the White House believes could face unjust targeting by Trump’s administration.
Reaction to Biden’s decision
Shaneva D McReynolds, president of families against mandatory minimums (FAMM), praised Biden’s action, saying he “is leaving office with a lasting legacy on criminal justice reform.”
“With today’s announcement, he has set a standard for presidential clemency and addressed decades-long injustices in our criminal justice system,” McReynolds said.
Sarah Gersten, executive director and general counsel of the Last Prisoner Project, said Biden’s move offers “hope — not just for those freed today, but for all the individuals still incarcerated for cannabis and their families that have been impacted by the War on Drugs.”
Earlier clemency actions
The announcement follows Biden’s commutation of approximately 1,500 sentences last month, as well as the pardoning of 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. Additionally, the president commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. He also recently granted his son Hunter a broad pardon, covering not only his federal gun and tax convictions but also any potential federal offenses committed over an 11-year span, driven by concerns that Trump allies might pursue additional charges against him.
