President Joe Biden has broken the record of any former American administration by granting clemency to more than 1500 prisoners in one day. This beats the former record of 330 by the Obama Administration. He also grants 39 pardons.
A legacy of Clemency
President Biden’s clemency grant represents one of the highest clemency initiatives in U.S. history and a decision to tackle mass incarceration regarding nonviolent drug offenders and others affected harshly with long sentences.
He assured Americans, claiming to review more clemency petitions before his tenure ends and Donald Trump is sworn in by January 2025.
“I 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 reentry, and provide meaningful second chances,” he stated.
The Criteria for Clemency and Pardoning
Individuals are chosen for clemency through the “Clemency Initiative,” which targets individuals serving sentences for non-violent crimes, especially those that involve minor drug offences.
However, the “Pardoning Initiative” focuses on individuals who have shown exceptional conduct after conviction and positively impacted their communities. This leads to a clean slate where your criminal records are “wiped clean.”.
This allows the individual to be free of limitations that come with the record, which include restrictions on voting rights, employment, and others.
This is not the first for the President, as he has previously granted Americans both in 2022 and earlier this year in July.
Criticism and Reactions
Although the action was widely applauded, some contend that it does not adequately address more fundamental systemic problems. The administration has been criticized by some for being overly forgiving, stating that such policies may result in higher crime rates. However, others argue that the scope of clemency is still insufficient and advocate for more extensive reforms, like doing away with laws requiring minimum sentences.
Discussions concerning fairness have also been triggered by the pardons, with some people wondering why some people were selected over others.
