President Biden announced on Friday that he has reduced the sentences of nearly 2,500 people who were convicted of nonviolent drug crimes. These actions are part of his efforts to fix what he sees as unfairly long prison sentences, especially for people who committed crimes that are not as serious under today’s laws.
By taking this step, President Biden set a record for the most pardons and commutations granted by a U.S. president. He explained that the clemency will help those who were sentenced for outdated reasons, such as the old differences between crack and powder cocaine, and for harsh drug penalties that don’t match modern views. Biden said his goal is to correct past injustices and give these individuals a chance to return to their families after spending too much time in prison.
Although the names of those affected by the latest clemency action have not been released, Biden has promised that there could be more actions before the end of his term. In December, he had already reduced the sentences of about 1,500 people who were placed under home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and pardoned 39 others convicted of nonviolent crimes. That was the largest one-day clemency act in modern history.
Additionally, Biden is considering pardons for some of his allies who might face unjust legal actions once President-elect Trump takes office. While presidential pardons are a powerful tool, using them in this way would be new and risky.
In December, Biden also commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, replacing their sentences with life in prison, just before Trump, who supports the death penalty, took office. Trump is expected to try to reverse Biden’s action.
Biden also pardoned his son Hunter, who faced charges related to gun and tax violations, and other potential federal crimes from the past 11 years. This was done to protect his son from possible future legal challenges, especially with Trump supporters targeting him.
Before leaving office, it is common for presidents to give pardons to help their allies, and Biden is likely to do the same.
In contrast, just before Trump’s first term ended, he issued more than 140 pardons and commutations, including for his former advisor Steve Bannon, musicians Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, and members of Congress. Trump also pardoned Al Pirro, the ex-husband of Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who had been convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion in 2000.
