Washington [US], January 18: US President Joe Biden on January 17 commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug crimes, the largest single-day clemency in the country's history.
AFP news agency quoted US President Joe Biden as saying in a statement that those who benefited from this action were serving sentences much longer than they should have received.
Biden called the move "a significant step toward righting historical wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities and providing deserving individuals with a chance to return to their families".
The move would ease penalties for individuals convicted based on unfounded distinctions between crack and powder cocaine , as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes, the White House said in a statement .
"With this action, I have issued more pardons and commutations to individuals than any president in American history," President Biden said. The US leader added that he could issue more pardons or commutations before handing over power to US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.
Kara Gotsch, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a prison reform campaign, welcomed Biden's clemency, saying it would bring "liberation to countless families".
In December 2024, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 federal inmates on death row, leaving them in prison for life without parole. That same month, he announced he would pardon 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes and commute the sentences of nearly 1,500 others serving long prison sentences.
Biden has also faced criticism for pardoning his son Hunter Biden, who pleaded guilty to tax fraud and was convicted of weapons charges. Presidents typically issue pardons late in their terms.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
