President Biden Makes History with Clemency Actions, Grants Pardons to 39 and Commutes Sentences of Nearly 1,500 Prisoners
President Biden made history last week by commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 prisoners and pardoning another 39 people, sparking mixed reactions from lawmakers and criminal justice reform advocates. The move surpasses the clemency actions of any other U.S. president serving their first term in office.
In a statement, Biden said that America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances, and that as president, he has the privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities.
However, the administration’s decision-making in determining which prisoners were eligible for clemency has been questioned. The Biden administration said that the decisions were not made on an individual basis, but rather were part of a “uniform” decision granted to people with a record of good behavior while on house arrest.
The list of individuals granted clemency includes former Illinois city comptroller Rita Crundwell, who pleaded guilty to a nearly $55 million embezzlement scheme, and former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan, who was convicted in a “Kids-for-Cash” scheme. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, sharply criticized Biden’s decision to include Conahan on the list, saying it has “created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania.”
Biden’s clemency actions have been compared to those of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who granted clemency to 1,927 individuals during his two terms in office. The Obama administration focused its commutations and reductions on nonviolent drug offenders, while Biden’s list includes a wider range of individuals.
Trump, on the other hand, granted just 143 pardons and 93 sentence commutations during his first term in office, amounting to just 2% of the clemency applications received by his administration. An analysis by Lawfare found that 29 of the 34 pardons granted by Trump were not based on recommendations of the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney.
The clemency actions have sparked controversy, with some lawmakers and criminal justice reform advocates questioning the administration’s decision-making process. However, the move has also been hailed as a step towards criminal justice reform and a way to restore opportunity for Americans who have made mistakes.
