President Joe Biden has announced a historic move, granting clemency to a large group of people in a single day. On Thursday, he decided to reduce the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals who had already left prison and spent at least a year under home confinement. Many of these people were released during the COVID-19 pandemic, when prisons were hit hard by the virus. At one point, according to media, about 1 in every 5 prisoners had COVID-19.
Biden also pardoned 39 Americans who were convicted of nonviolent offenses and have since turned their lives around. The White House noted that these actions amount to the largest single-day act of clemency in modern times. The second largest was in 2017 when former President Barack Obama granted 330 clemencies shortly before leaving office.
In a statement, President Biden said, “America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances.” He explained that he’s using his authority to give people who’ve shown regret and growth the chance to contribute positively to their communities. He also wants to address the unfair differences in how nonviolent offenders, especially those convicted of drug charges, have been treated over the years.
This latest round of clemency comes after Biden granted a broad pardon to his son Hunter, who had been prosecuted for gun and tax-related crimes. Now, under growing pressure from advocacy groups, the president may consider more sweeping moves. Some groups want him to pardon people on federal death row, an idea Biden supported during his 2020 campaign but hasn’t acted on yet. His Attorney General, Merrick Garland, paused federal executions, but with former President Donald Trump expected to return to office in January, many worry that executions will start again.
Biden says more pardons are on the way before he leaves office on January 20. However, it’s unclear whether he will protect certain individuals from possible political payback by Trump, who is set to become president again. This is a tricky decision, as it could set new standards for how future presidents use their power.
Among those pardoned on Thursday are people who have worked hard to improve themselves and help others after their convictions. The list includes a woman who led emergency response teams during natural disasters, a church deacon who now helps those struggling with addiction, a doctoral student in molecular biosciences, and a decorated military veteran.
Before this, President Biden had issued 122 commutations and 21 other pardons. He also pardoned people convicted of simple marijuana possession on federal lands and in Washington, D.C., as well as former members of the U.S. military who were punished under an old ban on consensual gay sex.
Some lawmakers, like Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, are urging him to pardon Steven Donziger, a lawyer who helped Indigenous farmers in a lawsuit against Chevron and was punished for contempt of court. Others want him to use his power to prevent the return of federal executions.
Biden’s team has been thinking about these decisions for months, even before the election, but the president is worried about what might happen if he tries to protect people who investigated Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Not everyone agrees that these measures are necessary. Adam Schiff, the new senator from California who led the investigation into the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, thinks the president shouldn’t spend his final days focusing on such pardons.
Presidents have long used their final weeks in office to grant pardons or commutations, wiping the slate clean for some and reducing the punishment for others. Biden’s recent decision to pardon his own son, Hunter, raised eyebrows, especially after he had said he wouldn’t do so. According to a recent poll, only about 2 out of every 10 Americans supported that choice, but it’s also sparked more conversation about why everyday people who’ve changed for the better deserve mercy too.
For now, Biden promises to keep looking at clemency requests in his remaining time as president. He’s aiming to balance fairness with public safety, help people rebuild their lives, and leave behind a more just legal system.
