Urooj NazirApproximately 1,500 felons who had been confined to their homes since the COVID-19 pandemic have had their sentences lowered by Joe Biden.
In what the White House referred to as the largest single act of clemency in modern history, the US president also pardoned 39 individuals convicted of non-violent felonies, including drug offenses.
To stop the spread of COVID-19, Mr. Biden, who will be leaving office next month, promised to shorten the sentences of criminals who had been transferred from jail and placed in their homes.
Republicans, who have previously advocated for legislation that would send those people back to prison, seemed to be thwarting a move by him before they take over Congress next month.
Many of them “would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices,” He added that they were “serving long prison sentences.”
“Just a fraction of one percent” of individuals confined to their homes had been sent back to prison “due to new criminal conduct,” according to the justice department as of April 2023.
Additionally, Mr. Biden announced that 39 individuals “who have demonstrated successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer” would receive pardons.
The president stated that he was focusing on “removing sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses.” However, the whole list of people who have been pardoned or had their sentences commuted has not been made public.
According to the White House, among them were a deacon who served as an addiction counselor, a military veteran, and a lady who oversaw emergency response teams during natural catastrophes.
Hunter’s pardon
It comes after Mr. Biden was widely criticized for forgiving his son Hunter, who pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion and was found guilty of lying about his cocaine addiction when purchasing a firearm earlier this year.
According to reports, it was the most comprehensive clemency deal since Richard Nixon’s time, absolving the 54-year-old of any offenses he might have committed during the previous ten years.
Anita Dunn, one of Mr. Biden’s top advisors until August, denounced the action as “an attack on our judicial system” in remarks released on Wednesday. According to a poll released this week, only two out of every two Americans support the action.
According to reports, Mr. Biden’s team has been discussing whether to grant general pardons to individuals who were threatened with “retribution” by President-elect Donald Trump after his four criminal indictments.
According to reports, Mr. Biden has been considering the notion seriously. He promised to take “more steps in the weeks ahead” on Thursday morning.
After the Republican oversaw an unprecedented number of federal executions, activists have urged him to pardon federal death row inmates before Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January.
