WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden Have 16 people were pardoned The president pardoned 11 men and women convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and commuted the sentences of five others, the latest use of his pardon power to address racial discrimination in the justice system.
Biden said in a statement Wednesday that April is “Second Chance Month” and that many of those pardoned were serving sentences “disproportionately longer” than they would have under current law.
As the Democratic president campaigns for reelection in November, he is struggling with how to shore up support from communities of color that strongly supported him over Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 election. The two rivals are likely to face off again in November.
“Like my other clemency actions, these pardons and commutations reflect my comprehensive commitment to addressing racial injustice and improving public safety,” Biden said.
Biden said those who received pardons had demonstrated a commitment to improving their lives and contributing to their communities, and that those who received commuted or reduced sentences had demonstrated that they were worthy of pardon and a chance to build a future outside of prison.
president The latest pardon was issued in December 2023. Thousands of people convicted of marijuana use and simple possession on federal lands and in the District of Columbia.
Biden has granted 129 commutations, more than any president in his first term since Richard Nixon, who issued the most pardons of any president since 691, according to an Associated Press analysis of Justice Department data.
A pardon is an expression of forgiveness by the President, typically given to acknowledge that a convicted person has accepted responsibility for their actions. A pardon does not mean that the person is considered innocent, but it does restore some rights, such as the right to vote, lost as a result of a conviction. A commutation only reduces the sentence and does not affect the conviction.
