Greatest act of grace in one day
Biden: 1,500 sentence reductions and 39 pardons
December 12, 2024 – 1:50 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Outgoing US President Joe Biden granted a historic number of reduced sentences and pardons. The 39 pardoned criminals demonstrated “successful rehabilitation”.
In a historic move, US President Joe Biden has reduced the sentences of around 1,500 people who were released from prisons and placed under house arrest during the corona pandemic. He also pardoned 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes. This is reported by the news agency “AP”.
In doing so, Biden is carrying out the greatest act of mercy in a single day in modern US history. He said, according to the report: “America was built on the promise of opportunity and second chances. As president, I have the privilege to show mercy and enable people to return to society.”
The 1,500 people affected, whose sentences have now been reduced, had apparently spent at least a year under house arrest. During the pandemic, numerous prisoners were released to curb the spread of Corona in prisons. According to AP, one in five prisoners in the US was infected with the virus at the height of the pandemic.
The pardons include prisoners who have integrated well into society. According to the report, these include a woman who worked as a natural disaster operations manager, a church deacon who works as an addiction and youth counselor, a doctoral student in molecular biosciences and a veteran.
The move builds on Biden’s previous acts of clemency, including blanket pardons of people convicted of federal marijuana possession and pardons of veterans who suffered under a now-repealed ban on homosexual relationships in the Army.
Activist groups are calling on Biden to issue more far-reaching pardons. Because time is running out: Donald Trump is scheduled to take office in January. They are specifically calling for the pardon of people who have been sentenced to death. During his 2020 campaign, Biden promised to abolish the death penalty but failed to follow through.
The pardon of his son Hunter Biden, who had been charged with tax and weapons offenses, also caused discussions across the country. Despite previous assurances that he would not issue family clemency acts, Biden justified the decision with a “political instrumentalization” of the judiciary.
By the time he leaves office on January 20, Biden is planning further measures that could influence the US justice system. This also includes the controversial possibility of issuing preemptive pardons for people who may have to fear legal consequences under a future Trump administration.
