President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of about 1,500 inmates who have been incarcerated and under house arrest during the coronavirus pandemic and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, the largest single-day clemency in modern U.S. history.
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| US President Joe Biden, who leaves office next month, said he would “take more steps in the coming weeks” and continue to consider pardon applications. (Source: Reuters) |
The decision to commute sentences was announced on December 12 for those who had served at least a year of house arrest. At one point during the pandemic, according to AP statistics, 1 in 5 prisoners had contracted COVID-19. Prisons are considered the fastest-spreading places for the virus, so some inmates have been released and put on parole to prevent the spread.
President Biden said he would take more steps in the coming weeks and continue to review pardon applications. The second-largest single-day pardon was 330 by former President Barack Obama just before leaving office in 2017.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Mr Biden pardoned his son Hunter for gun and tax crimes, pledging not to do so.
Republicans seized on the decision, attacking the Democratic president for using his power to shield a family member from legal judgments. They accused Biden of enforcing a separate standard of justice for those with political connections.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a statement. “As President, it is my great privilege to extend mercy to those who have demonstrated remorse and restored dignity, to provide opportunities for Americans to reintegrate and contribute to their communities, and to take steps to eliminate stigma against nonviolent offenders, especially those convicted of drug crimes.”
The pardon has prompted renewed calls for President Biden, who leaves office in January when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
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