President Biden's final list of commutations was released Friday afternoon, listing the names and registration numbers of nearly 2,500 inmates whose sentences were commuted as a result of the president's actions.
The latest round of commutations cements Biden's status as the president who has pardoned the most individuals and commuted sentences. According to a statement from President Biden, those on the list were determined to have received sentences for drug offenses that were disproportionate to today's sentences.
"Today's clemency action provides relief to individuals serving lengthy prison sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine and outdated drug offense sentencing enhancements," Biden said in a statement Friday. "As Congress recognized through the Fair Sentencing Act and the First Step Act, it is time for us to equalize these sentencing disparities."
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The new list of commutations comes after Biden last month set a record for the largest single-day pardons by a president, when he commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people who had been incarcerated in their homes during the coronavirus pandemic, mostly charged with crimes. There were crimes, according to the White House, that were non-violent drug crimes.
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Following last month's commutations, several Democrats urged Biden to grant more pardons and commutations to people serving long sentences. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., among those urging Biden to take action, praised the president's actions on Friday.
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"Today, President Biden took another historic, transformative, and compassionate step toward commuting the sentences of thousands of people serving unreasonably long sentences in an effort to heal and heal," said Rep. Pressley. Keeping families together is a direct result of failed drug war policies."
"With this action, President Biden...demonstrates the power of clemency to address injustices in our criminal legal system. I thank President Biden for taking bold action and continuing to use clemency to change and save lives. This This is the leadership we have been calling for and will be a defining part of President Biden's legacy."
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