President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 federal inmates to life in prison without parole. This move comes as President-elect Donald Trump, who supports the death penalty, is about to take office. Most of the commutations involve inmates convicted of serious crimes like killing police officers, drug murders, or violence in prisons. However, inmates involved in terrorism or hate crimes are not included, as Biden's ban on federal executions still applies to those cases, as reported by KHOU.
These individuals were convicted of crimes such as killing fellow prisoners or being involved in fatal incidents linked to drug transactions. This change reflects President Biden's shifting position on the federal death penalty, moving from a moratorium to a near-total halt in its use, according to KHOU.
President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal inmates, taking a strong stand against the death penalty. He said, "In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted." Civil rights groups, including the ACLU, praised the decision, with ACLU Director Anthony D. Romero said "President Biden has taken the most consequential step of any president in our history to address the immoral and unconstitutional harms of capital punishment," as stated by CBS News.
