Biden to commute sentences of 1,500 'non-violent' offenders, in the biggest single-day act of clemency to date
President Joe Biden will commute the sentences of almost 1,500 offenders and pardon 39 others, in what the White House said early Thursday was the biggest number of commutations and clemencies granted in a single day.
President Joe Biden will commute the sentences of almost 1,500 offenders and pardon 39 others, in what the White House said early Thursday was the biggest number of commutations and clemencies granted in a single day.
Explaining what may become a defining act in the dying days of his presidency, Biden said in a statement: “America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances.”
Biden continued. “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.”
The move comes almost two weeks after Biden announced that he had pardoned his son, Hunter, who was due to be sentenced on Thursday for a conviction on federal gun charges. He had also pleaded guilty to a separate federal tax evasion charge. Earlier, Biden had ruled out using his executive powers to pardon his son.
All the 1,500 offenders are “non-violent” and have been placed on home confinement for at least one year under the Covid-19-era CARES Act, the White House said, while adding that they had shown “successful rehabilitation and a strong commitment to making their communities safer.”
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