WASHINGTON: In a major move, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment. This decision comes as Biden halts federal executions, with just three prisoners, including high-profile criminals, left on death row.
Announcement
Biden announced his decision on Monday, stating, “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without parole.” This was part of Biden’s broader effort to end the federal death penalty and aligns with the Justice Department’s moratorium on federal executions.
Exceptions for Terror and Mass Killers
Those exceptions included Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, involved in the Boston Marathon bombing; Dylann Roof, responsible for the Charleston church massacre; and Robert Bowers, involved in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Biden emphasized that his decision aligns with his administration’s stance on halting executions for cases other than mass murder or terrorism.
These commutations involved individuals convicted primarily of crimes related to drug trafficking or murder of fellow inmates and prison guards. Biden expressed his sympathy for the victims and emphasized his belief that the federal death penalty should no longer be applied. “I cannot stand by as a new administration resumes executions that I halted,” Biden stated in his press release.
The move to commute the sentences also comes amid opposition to the death penalty, notably from Senator Chris Coons and civil rights organizations. Opponents of capital punishment argue that the system is biased and unjust, calling for reforms in the federal approach to executions.
Biden’s action adds to the broader shift on the death penalty, with Biden having halted all federal executions in his presidency so far. Despite this change, the federal death penalty remains a concern, especially with the looming return of Donald Trump.
Biden’s initiative follows his clemency for Hunter Biden and other pardon decisions, solidifying his stance against capital punishment at the federal level.
