In a significant move, President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, converting their punishments to life imprisonment without parole. The decision, announced on Monday, reflects Biden’s commitment to ending federal executions and preempts the possibility of their resumption under a Trump administration.
The commutations impact 37 of the 40 individuals currently on federal death row, leaving three inmates convicted of terrorism and hate crimes, such as Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, excluded from clemency. The action aligns with the President’s longstanding opposition to the death penalty and his administration’s 2021 moratorium on federal executions.
“This is a step toward addressing the inequities in our criminal justice system,” a White House official stated, underscoring Biden’s broader agenda of criminal justice reform.
Advocacy groups have praised the decision as a bold step toward abolishing capital punishment at the federal level. However, critics argue that excluding high-profile inmates undermines the administration’s consistent stance against the death penalty.
The commutations follow a series of clemency actions during Biden’s tenure, including the recent commutation of 1,500 sentences and 39 presidential pardons.
As Biden’s presidency nears its end, this decision reinforces his legacy of reshaping federal criminal justice policies and preventing future administrations from resuming federal executions.
