In a major overhaul of federal death row sentences, President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 inmates.
According to Fox News, these commutations will shift the inmates' sentences to life imprisonment without parole, affecting nearly all on federal death row.
President Biden’s decision aligns with his administration’s wider clemency efforts and his established stance against capital punishment.
Since his election, Biden has been clear about his opposition to the death penalty, instituting a moratorium on federal executions shortly after taking office in 2021.
The clemency initiative excludes three inmates: Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Their involvement in significant acts of terrorism and mass murder has led to their exemption from the commutation.
Furthermore, President Biden's initiative is constructed firmly against a backdrop of bipartisan views on crime and punishment. As a result, it serves as a precaution to prevent possible reversals in policy once incoming President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The President has vocalized his stance on balancing justice with humanitarian concerns. "I do condemn these despicable acts and grieve for the victims and families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss, but I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted," stated President Biden, highlighting the ethical dilemmas surrounding the death penalty.
Many of the resentenced inmates include individuals convicted of extremely serious crimes such as the murders of law enforcement officers, children, and fellow inmates.
Former Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Justin Jones, commented positively on the President's decision:
President Biden has made a courageous decision that will benefit many within the federal Bureau of Prisons. Resources can be allocated more rationally, and staff will not face the harm of participating in executions any time soon. I hope state leaders follow suit, for the benefit of their own correctional staff.
This move by President Biden is noted as groundbreaking by many in the corrections and civil rights arenas. Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, said, "This decision marks an important turning point and sends a strong message to Americans that the death penalty is not the answer to our country's concerns about public safety."
According to White House officials, "The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms." This extensive use of presidential clemency powers illustrates a significant shift in federal criminal justice policy under Biden’s administration.
President Biden has taken sweeping clemency actions, including pardons for 65 individuals and commutations for 1,634 inmates, culminating in what he has previously described as the "largest single-day grant of clemency."
As the end of his term approaches, President Biden remains committed to evaluating additional cases for potential pardons and commutations. These decisions reflect his broader commitment to reshaping how the federal government administers justice, continuing his administration’s focus on reforming the criminal justice system and ensuring it serves the public equitably and humanely.
