Joe Biden to commute sentences of 1,500 ‘non-violent’ offenders

Joe Biden has said he will commute the sentences of almost 1,500 non-violent offenders and pardon 39 others in the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.

The outgoing president said in a statement that America “was built on the promise of possibility and second chances”.

He called it a “great privilege” of his office that he could show mercy “to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation” and said he was “taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offences”.

Earlier this month Mr Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, despite previously insisting he would not.

Hunter Biden was due to be sentenced on Thursday on federal gun charges, Sky’s US partner network NBC News said, and had also pleaded guilty to a separate federal tax evasion charge.

All the 1,500 offenders are “non-violent” and have been placed on home confinement for at least one year under the COVID-19-era CARES Act, the White House said.

They had shown “successful rehabilitation and a strong commitment to making their communities safer” and would receive lower sentences if they were tried today, Mr Biden said.

Some inmates were released from prison during the pandemic because one in every five prisoners in US jails was catching the virus.

The 39 pardoned individuals were all convicted of “non-violent crimes”.

They include a decorated military veteran who volunteers at a local church, a nurse who leads responses to natural disasters, and an addiction counsellor who works with young people.

Those pardoned on Thursday had been convicted of nonviolent crimes such as drug offences and turned their lives around, White House lawyers said.

There may be more to come, as Mr Biden said he would be taking further steps in the weeks ahead and would continue to review clemency petitions.

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Mr Biden and his aides have discussed the idea of issuing pre-emptive pardons for people who president-elect Donald Trump has criticised as he hinted about plans for retribution, two sources familiar with the discussions told NBC News.

Mr Biden leaves office on 20 January when Mr Trump, who has faced a series of legal battles this year, is inaugurated.

The outgoing president had previously issued almost 150 commutations and other pardons, including for people convicted of possessing and using marijuana on federal lands, and former US service members convicted of breaking a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex.

Some want him to pardon environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger, who was imprisoned or under house arrest for three years because of a contempt of court charge related to his work representing indigenous farmers in a lawsuit against Chevron.

Others are advocating for Mr Biden to commute the sentences of federal death row prisoners.

The second largest single-day act of clemency was by former president Barack Obama, with 330, shortly before leaving office in 2017.