US President Joe Biden announced that he commuted the sentences of 2,500 convicted people. Biden said that he is the president who has issued the most pardons and sentence reductions in US history.
Joe Biden, who will leave office as president of the US on January 20, announced the new pardon list.
Biden said in a statement, “I am commuting the sentences of approximately 2,500 individuals convicted of non-violent drug offenses, who received disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy and practice. “With this action, I have granted more pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” he said.
Biden, who stated that outdated sentence increases and equalization of sentencing differences should be replaced under the Fair Sentencing Act passed by Congress, said: “This action is an important step towards correcting historical wrongs by correcting sentencing disparities and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to reunite with their families and communities after spending too much time behind bars. I am proud of my track record of granting pardons. I will continue to examine additional commutations and pardons.”
In December 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 1,500 people and pardoned 39 convicted U.S. citizens.
Biden later commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 federal inmates on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
