Shouldn’t this be a good thing?
“America was built on second chances. That’s what these pardons and commutations represent.”
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) followed suit and called Biden out for failing to keep campaign promises in order to reduce the number of incarcerated Americans.
“Despite pledges by the president to reduce the federal prison population, it has only grown in recent years. President Biden has an opportunity and an obligation to reduce the federal prison population and make good on his campaign promise to address the systemic injustices of mass incarceration before leaving office,” Bush said in a statement.
“With the stroke of a pen, the president can offer these individuals the dignity and redemption they deserve. We urge him to act now.”
White House lawyers claim the issued pardons are for those convicted of nonviolent crimes such as drug offenses who have turned their lives around, including a woman who led emergency response teams during natural disasters, the deacon of a church who has since worked as an addiction and youth counselor, a decorated military veteran, and a molecular bioscience doctoral student, according to Associated Press.
Bush and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) are pushing for Biden to pardon environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger, who was imprisoned for three years due to a contempt of court charge in correlation to representing Indigenous farmers in a lawsuit against oil and gas giant Chevron.
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Source: Black Enterprise
