
The announcement was handed down just three days before the Trump-Vance administration takes over.
In a statement, Biden said these offenders had “serv[ed] disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice.”
On X, Biden called the move an “important step toward righting historical wrongs and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their communities after far too much time behind bars.”
“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who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden wrote.
Senior analyst Ashley Nellis said the eye-opening numbers only elevate the narrative that “the criminal justice system cannot be accomplished without acknowledgment of its racist underpinnings.”
With just a few days remaining as commander-in-chief, Biden said he will “continue to review additional commutations and pardons,” highlighting its historical context.
“With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” Biden said.
RELATED CONTENT: FDA Finally Revokes FD&C Red No. 3 For Food And Drugs
Source: Black Enterprise