Biden Commutes All But Three Federal Death Sentences to Life Imprisonment | US News
Joe Biden has declared a change in the sentences of 37 out of 40 individuals on death row in the United States to life imprisonment.
The President of the United States made this announcement just weeks before Donald Trump is set to take office following his victory in the November presidential election.
President Biden has decided to spare the lives of those convicted of murders and those involved in lethal bank robberies or drug-related crimes.
Currently, only three federal inmates are still facing execution: Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers.
Dylann Roof. File pic: Reuters
Roof was responsible for the 2015 racially-motivated murders of nine African American congregants at Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina.
Tsarnaev was involved in the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013, which resulted in three fatalities and injuries to over 260 individuals.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Pic: US Attorney’s Office in Boston/Reuters
Bowers was responsible for the shooting at Pittsburgh‘s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, which resulted in the deaths of 11 congregants, marking the most lethal antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
Robert Bowers. File pic: AP
President Biden stated that his career has been focused on “reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system.”
“Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole,” the President remarked.
“These commutations align with the moratorium my administration has placed on federal executions, except in cases involving terrorism and hate-fueled mass murder.”
During his 2020 presidential campaign, his platform indicated he would “work to pass legislation to abolish the death penalty at the federal level.”
As President, Mr. Biden expressed that he is “more convinced than ever that we must end the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
He added: “In good conscience, I cannot stand by and allow a new administration to resume executions that I have halted.”
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Mr. Trump has previously expressed intentions to expand the use of capital punishment.
The president-elect has suggested that those apprehended for drug trafficking should face the death penalty for their “heinous acts.”
Activists have urged President Biden to create barriers that would make it harder for the incoming president to extend the use of capital punishment once he assumes office on January 20.
His announcement comes after the recent pardon granted to his son Hunter regarding federal gun and tax issues.
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Donald Trump could seek to reverse President Biden’s decisions. Pic: Reuters
Donnie Oliverio, a retired police officer from Ohio, who lost his partner to one of the men whose death sentence was commuted, remarked that an execution “would have brought me no peace.”
Mr. Oliverio stated that the president had taken the “right” action, which aligns with the faith they both share.
