Dec. 12 (UPI) — President Joe Biden on Thursday commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals placed on home confinement and will pardon 39 others convicted of non-violent crimes.
The White House said the moves represented the “largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a statement. “As president, I have the great 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, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses.”
The 1,500 people whose sentences were commuted were have served sentences at home for at least one year under the CARES Act, passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have “successfully reintegrated into their families and communities.”
Biden added that many of them “Would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies and practices.”
The 39 individuals pardoned were convicted of non-violent crimes and “have shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer,” Biden said.
The administration said those receiving relief include a decorated military veteran who helps fellow disabled church members, a nurse who led COVID-19 vaccination efforts, and an addiction counselor who volunteers to help young people refrain from gang violence.
“As the president has said, the United States is a nation of second chances,” the White House said. “The president recognizes how the clemency power can advance equal justice under law and remedy harms caused by practices of the past.”
The announcement comes a little more than a week after Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden on several federal cases that were expected to land him in prison for years. He had been set to be sentenced on Thursday.
The younger Biden in June was found guilty on three charges related to his ownership of a handgun in 2018 when he was addicted to drugs.
Biden on Thursday said he “will take more steps in the weeks ahead.”
“My administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and re-entry and provide meaningful second chances,” he said.
