This morning, President Joe Biden made history with a groundbreaking clemency announcement commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders. The move, made just days before leaving office, marks the largest clemency action in U.S. history and fulfills Biden’s promise to address decades of sentencing disparities.
In a statement, Biden called the sentences “disproportionately long” and rooted in outdated policies targeting crack versus powder cocaine that devastated Black communities.
“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,” said Biden.
This follows a wave of clemency actions by Biden, including pardons for nonviolent offenders and commuting the sentences of nearly all federal death row inmates. With this bold step, Biden will leave office having issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history.
For many, this isn’t just a policy—it’s a second chance.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
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