President Joe Biden announced Monday he is commuting the sentences of 37 out of 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. The move spares the lives of individuals convicted of various crimes, including killings of police and military officers, people on federal land, bank robberies, drug deals, and killings within federal facilities. Three federal inmates remain facing execution: Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
“I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden said in a statement. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.
Similar language didn't appear on Biden's reelection website before he left the presidential race in July. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has spoken frequently of expanding executions. In a speech announcing his 2024 campaign, Trump called for those “caught selling drugs to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts.” He later promised to execute drug and human smugglers and even praised China's harsher treatment of drug peddlers. During his first term as president, Trump also advocated for the death penalty for drug dealers.
Biden faced recent pressure from advocacy groups urging him to act to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The president's announcement also comes less than two weeks after he commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, and of 39 others convicted of nonviolent crimes, the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
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Biden Commutes Sentences Of 37 People On Federal Death RowTaiyler S. Mitchell is a reporter on the breaking news desk at HuffPost with beats that include culture, social issues, and criminal justice. An alumna of Dillard University, Taiyler has bylines at Business Insider and has been featured by NBCLX and SFGate.
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Biden Commutes Sentences of 37 Federal Death Row InmatesPresident Joe Biden announced the commutation of sentences for 37 out of 40 individuals on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. The move spares the lives of convicts convicted of various crimes including killings of police and military officers, people on federal land, and individuals involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals. Only three federal inmates remain facing execution.
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Biden Commutes Sentences of 37 Federal Death Row Inmates to LifePresident Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 individuals on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. This action spares the lives of those convicted of various crimes, including murders of police and military officers, individuals on federal land, and those involved in bank robberies or drug deals. Three inmates remain facing execution: Dylann Roof for the 2015 Charleston church shooting, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and Robert Bowers for the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
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Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemencyWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes.
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Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences, pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemencyThe U.S. President said he would be taking more steps in the weeks ahead and would continue to review clemency petitions
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Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemencyWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes.
Read more »