President Biden Commutes Sentences of 37 Federal Death Row Inmates on Christmas Eve
In a surprise move on December 24, President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 inmates on federal death row, including at least five child killers and several mass murderers. The move comes days before his term ends and is part of his effort to “ensure a fair and effective justice system.”
The 37 inmates, who would have been too dangerous to live after committing murder, had their sentences reduced to life in prison without parole. Notably, the three inmates not receiving clemency were Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, and Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof.
Among those receiving the commutation were Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and murdered a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana in 2010, and Anthony Battle, who murdered a prison guard in 1994 and a US Marine in 1987. Other inmates receiving clemency included mass killers Jorge Avila-Torrez, Iouri Mikhel, Kaboni Savage, and James Roane, Jr.
The move is part of Biden’s long-standing opposition to the death penalty, which he believes is not an effective deterrent. In a statement, the President condemned the crimes committed by those receiving clemency, but said he believes it is “time to stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
The commutation comes as part of a trend of Biden exercising his clemency powers, including pardoning his own son Hunter in November and commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people on December 12. Despite his efforts, cannabis activists remain unsatisfied, citing his failure to release inmates serving time for marijuana-related offenses.
