JustLeadershipUSA Recognizes President Biden for Issuing a Record 1,500 Commutations and Calls on Him to Continue Doing Even More

Today, President Joe Biden announced he would commute the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardon 39 others convicted of nonviolent crimes, which is the largest grant of clemency by an American president in a single day. This is in direct response to the appeals that JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA) and other justice organizations have been making since Biden announced he would no longer seek reelection.

As JLUSA said in late July—and we renew our call for this again today: President Biden holds enormous power to effect bold positive change over his remaining month in the White House.

In our National Platform and Roadmap, released in early 2021, we called on the Biden-Harris administration to pursue a number of short-term, mid-term, and long-term legislative and executive actions and reforms. We are once again calling on President Biden to take these immediate actions using his authority before he leaves office:

• Repeal and reverse the impact of the 1994 Crime Bill — President Biden, this is a great first step toward repairing the harms that have destroyed families and communities. We urge you to keep going by giving freedom and hope to as many as possible of the 20,000+ Americans who are still seeking clemency!
• Deschedule marijuana and pardon all people incarcerated for marijuana charges — Rescheduling marijuana is not enough, because it does not decriminalize marijuana or release individuals with marijuana-related charges who have not become eligible from any of the reforms passed since their conviction. Marijuana is now legal in over half of the country. It’s time to decriminalize and set individuals free.
• Abolish the federal death penalty — As President-elect, you pledged to end the federal death penalty. Executive powers still allow you that option today. There are many people sitting on federal death row that you can pardon and reunite with their families. We call on you to do that now.

President Biden, when you ran for the office of President in 2020, you promised to reduce the prison population by more than 50%. Instead the number has actually gone up, after years of decline. You still have an important opportunity to make good on some of your promises to the American people over these final 40 days in office. The 70+ million Americans who have direct lived experience of the criminal legal system in this country are watching.

Learn more about how we are elevating issues impacting the 70+ million justice-impacted Americans at the Federal level through the JustUS Coordinating Council at justuscc.org.