In justifying his actions, Joe Biden said, “This action will right a historic wrong, close sentencing disparities, and provide deserving people with support for their families and communities after spending long periods in prison.” “This is an important step to ensure we can return.”
More than 2,000 people whose sentences were commuted by the U.S. president on Friday were serving or were serving time for nonviolent drug offenses.
Joe Biden will right ‘historic wrong’ before term ends
This primarily concerns people convicted of crimes related to crack cocaine (the common name for free base cocaine). Under previous U.S. laws, they received harsher penalties than those arrested for possession of powder cocaine. The sentencing disparity was the result of a law Biden enacted in 1986 while he was still a senator.
In 2010, the so-called Fair Sentencing Act reduced penalties for crack-related crimes and eliminated the current minimum sentences for crack possession. Eight years later, the First Step Act was passed, allowing people convicted of crack-related offenses sentenced before 2010 to have their sentences commuted.
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Joe Biden says he recognizes that crack offenders “serve disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive under applicable laws, policies, and practices today.” I admitted it.
Joe Biden breaks record for pardons and commutations
The president said, “I am proud of our pardon record and will continue to consider further reductions and pardons.”
Last month, more than 20 Democratic members of Congress called on Joe Biden to unfairly commute harsher penalties for crack crimes, saying they were causing irreparable harm to some American communities.
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In a statement Friday, Joe Biden acknowledged that he recognizes that he has issued more individual pardons and commutations than any previous U.S. president.
Just last month, U.S. leaders eased court orders for about 1,500 people. Thanks to his decisions, 37 of the 40 prisoners sentenced to death were spared the maximum penalty. Additionally, Biden pardoned 39 people, including his son Hunter Biden, but faced harsh criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.
The president also acknowledged that he is considering “preventive” pardons for people and officials at risk of prosecution by President Donald Trump’s administration. But he said that would depend on what kind of signal President Trump sends on the matter in his final days before taking office.
Those who may be eligible for amnesty include: Liz Cheney, former congressman and vice chair of the Capitol attack investigation committee; former special counsel Jack Smith, who led the investigation into Trump; and Mark Trump, a former military official whom Trump has accused of treason. Gen. Milley et al. He suggested that he should be given the death penalty.
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