Biden commutes sentences of nearly 2,500 non-violent drug offenders

HAMILTON, Canada

US President Joe Biden announced on Friday he is commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 individuals convicted of non-violent drug crimes.

"Today, I am commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug offenses who are serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice," Biden said in a statement

"With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in US history," he added.

The clemency action specifically addresses cases involving outdated sentencing practices, including discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine and enhancements for drug crimes that US Congress has since revised.

"As Congress recognized through the Fair Sentencing Act and the First Step Act, it is time that we equalize these sentencing disparities. This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars," he said.

While Biden did not elaborate on the criteria used to determine the pardons, he pledged to "continue to review additional commutations and pardons."

The Biden administration has been an advocate for using clemency as a tool to rectify such inequities.

While many offeders were waiting for a mass clemency since November elections in 2020, Biden's first major pardoning move was for his son Hunter Biden last December. Hunter was found guilty of federal gun charges stemming from his possession of a firearm while addicted to drugs in 2018. In September of that year, he pleaded guilty to federal tax charges.

Last December, Biden also commuted the sentences of 1,500 individuals and issued 39 pardons. His administration has also commuted sentences for federal death row inmates, replacing capital punishment with life imprisonment without parole.

The presidential pardon covers convictions and represents a significant reversal for the president who has repeatedly pledged he will not do so.