Biden commutes sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.
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President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 people on Friday, the most in a single day by any president, breaking a record he set after granting clemency last month to about 1,000 people under house arrest and 37 federal prisoners on death row.
Biden said Friday's pardons cover people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.
The president said he believes the people whose sentences he commuted were "suffering sentences that are disproportionate" to what they would receive "under current law, policy and practice."
Biden said the commutations would provide relief for those convicted based on "the now-discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine."
With the latest pardon announcement, Biden said he had "now issued more individual pardons and remissions than any president in American history."
Key Quotes
"This action is an important step toward righting historical wrongs, correcting disparities in sentencing, and providing deserving individuals with the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending too much time behind bars. I am proud of my record of clemency and will continue to consider additional reductions and pardons," Biden added in his statement. Surprising fact
With Friday's announcement, Biden broke the record set in December for the largest single-day pardon by a US president, commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people, including 39 pardons for those convicted of non-violent crimes .
Main context
In December, Biden granted clemency to nearly 1,500 people, most of whom had been under house arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic, after they were released from prison to limit the virus' impact on prisons . The changes were for people who have served their sentence at home for at least a year and the notice said they have "demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation by finding employment and continuing their education". The president also pardoned 39 people who had been convicted of non-violent crimes, including drug offenses, and had "turned their lives around". Weeks later, the president commuted the sentences of 37 federal prisoners from death to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Biden said the move was prompted by President-elect Donald Trump's promise to end the moratorium his administration had imposed on federal executions except for cases involving "terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder ". In his announcement, the president said he was guided by his "conscience" and said, "I am more convinced than ever that we must end the use of the death penalty at the federal level."
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