President Joe Biden’s time as president is winding down, and he appears to be working until then end.
On Friday, Biden commuted the sentences of about 2,500 inmates convicted of non-violent drug offenses, per Fox News.
These inmates are “serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice,” according to a statement by Biden.
“Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden said.
The president took this opportunity to “equalize these sentencing disparities” as recognized through the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 and the First Step Act of 2018.
“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars,” Biden added.
Friday’s act also made history.
“With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” Biden said.
Biden has been critized by both Republicans and Democrats in who he has chosen to pardon or commute sentences for, per Fox News.
One of the biggest criticism Biden received was when he pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted gun and tax crimes in two separate federal cases.
At the end of December, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row, turning their sentences into life without parole.
The lame-duck president also had the “largest single-day grant of clemency” on Dec. 12.
That was the day he commuted sentences for 1,500 and pardoned 39 others. Most were serving time in home confinement as a result of COVID-19.
Biden said he is “proud of [his] record on clemency” and will “continue to review additional commutations and pardons” up until Jan. 19 — his last full day as president.
