Biden announces 37 releases from death row: NPR

President Biden speaks during a reception in the East Room of the White House on December 16.

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President Biden used his clemency powers on Monday to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men Federal Death Row to life in prison without parole, one of the most significant anti-death penalty moves in recent presidential history.

Biden did not commute the sentences of three men implicated in cases of terrorism or hate mass murder Robert Bowersconvicted in the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018; Dylan Roofconvicted in the 2015 mass shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina; And Dzhokhar Tsarnaevconvicted of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

In a statement, the president said the changes were in line with 2021 moratorium His administration imposed federal executions.

“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, mourn the victims of their heinous acts, and mourn all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden said. Citing his experience as a public defender and elected official, Biden added: “I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”

He also suggested that possible actions by the new Trump administration were part of his motivation.

“In good conscience, I cannot allow a new administration to resume the executions I stopped,” Biden said.

Those whose sentences were commuted include: Former New Orleans police officer Len Daviswho was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill a woman who filed a complaint against him; Brandon advicewho was convicted of killing two women in a bank robbery and told officials that “demons” were controlling people’s minds; and Billie Jerome Allen, who was convicted for his role in a bank robbery but received a paycheck public campaign for his innocence (he spoke to NPR from his prison cell before Biden commuted his sentence).

Biden has said he opposes the death penalty but has taken little action so far

There were lawyers, religious leaders and former prison officials Biden urges to take this step with his pardon power, including Pope Franciswho weighed in from St. Peter’s Square on December 8th.

Byran Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, which advocates against mass incarceration, called Biden’s actions “a major turning point in ending America’s tragic and error-prone use of the death penalty.” In his statement, Stevenson added: “I commend President Biden for recognizing that we don’t have to kill people to show that killing is wrong, that we can and should reduce violence in our communities by refusing.” “To sanction more violence and killing in our courts and prisons.”

Biden had promised during his 2020 presidential campaign He called for the abolition of the death penalty and said he would support legislation to abolish the death penalty at the federal level, but the Biden administration hardly did anything raise the issue in Congress. legislation introduced by the Democrats The abolition of the death penalty achieved nothing.

After President-elect Donald Trump won the election last month, advocates began to re-emphasize the issue because of Trump’s record on federal executions. Trump had Federal executions were reinstated during his first term, in July 2019, after a 17-year hiatus. A a total of 13 people were executed between that point and the end of his term – a record number of federal executions for a single president.

Biden’s commutations for those on death row are also much higher than those of his Democratic predecessors. Former President Barack Obama commuted two death sentences at the end of his term as former President Bill Clinton commuted one.

Biden’s actions come shortly after him pardoned 39 people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 others who were in home confinement during the COVID pandemic.

Monday’s announcement also follows controversy over Biden’s pardon of his own son, Hunter Biden, on gun and tax charges.

NPR’s Lexie Schapitl contributed to this report.