Biden commutes additional sentences, this time for 2,500 non-violent drug offenders

President Joe Biden, who steps down next week, said he had now granted more individual pardons and commutations than any other president when he revealed on Friday that he was commuting the sentences of about 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug offenses.

The beneficiaries of Friday’s move “are serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice,” Biden said in a statement.

According to the White House statement, the action offers mercy relief to those who were convicted under antiquated sentencing enhancements for drug offenses and debunked distinctions between crack and powder cocaine.

Before President-elect Donald Trump returned to the White House on January 20, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row convicts to life in prison without the possibility of release in December.
In the same month, he also said that he was commuting the sentences of about 1,500 individuals serving lengthy jail terms and pardoning 39 individuals convicted of non-violent offenses.

Biden has come under fire for forgiving his son Hunter, who was found guilty of gun-related offenses and had entered a guilty plea to tax irregularities.

Civil rights organizations and defense lawyers have increased their efforts to draw attention to strong cases and started campaigns to support people they feel were unfairly convicted or are serving disproportionate sentences for nonviolent crimes.

Toward the conclusion of their tenure, presidents usually issue a series of pardons.

At least some of Trump’s fans who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Congress from confirming Biden’s 2020 election victory, will receive clemency, according to Trump’s pledge.