Joe Biden Commutes Sentences for 37 Federal Death Row Inmates

President Joe Biden has changed the sentences for 37 out of 40 people on federal death row, replacing their death penalties with life in prison without the chance for parole.

This decision came after several months of urging from activists who were concerned that Donald Trump, the next president, might bring back federal executions. Trump had restarted executions during his term after they had been stopped for almost 20 years.

Biden explained his decision in a statement on Monday. He said he strongly condemns the crimes these individuals committed and feels deep sadness for the victims and their families.

However, based on his extensive experience in law and government, he believes it’s time to end the death penalty at the federal level. He said he couldn’t let the next government start executing people again.

Some of the people who had their sentences changed include Len Davis, a former police officer from New Orleans who was involved in illegal activities and arranged for someone to be killed.

Another is Norris Holder, who was part of a bank robbery where a security guard was killed, although it’s not clear if Holder was the one who shot the guard.

The clemency doesn’t apply to three inmates who were involved in acts of terrorism or hate crimes, such as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who bombed the Boston Marathon, Dylann Roof who killed nine people in a church, and Robert Bowers who killed 11 people in a synagogue.

A lawyer, Madeline Cohen, commented that many of the men on death row were tried during a time when the government was very tough on crime, which led to unfair trials. She said Biden’s decision reflects a change in thinking about those policies.

As a senator, Biden supported a law in 1994 that made more crimes eligible for the death penalty. This law is now seen as a reason for the high number of Black men in prison, and many of those on death row were sentenced under it.

However, during his presidential campaign in 2020, Biden changed his position and said he was against the death penalty because of the risk of wrongful convictions and racial unfairness.

Biden has already stopped all federal executions. His latest decision means that no more people will be executed under current policies. Earlier this month, Biden also pardoned about 1,500 people in one day, which is the most in history.

He also gave pardons to people convicted of minor marijuana offenses and to LGBTQ military members convicted for their sexual orientation.

Biden’s term ends on January 20, and his recent decisions are part of his efforts to change how justice is served in America. However, his decision to pardon his son, Hunter, for serious charges has caused a lot of discussions and criticism.