President Joe Biden, who’s set to leave office next week as Donald Trump storms back into the White House, has announced the commutation of nearly 2,500 sentences for individuals convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
Biden has granted more individual pardons and commutations than any previous president. In a statement, he emphasized that many of the recipients had been serving disproportionately long sentences, far harsher than what they would face under current laws and policies. The clemency primarily addresses outdated sentencing enhancements and the widely criticized disparity between crack and powder cocaine penalties, reflecting an effort to correct historical injustices in federal drug sentencing.
The unprecedented wave of clemency marks a significant push by Biden’s administration to address systemic inequities in the criminal justice system. Advocates have long criticized the crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparity, which disproportionately impacted communities of colour.