(Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden, who leaves office next week, announced on Friday that he was commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug offenses, saying he has now issued more pardons and commutations than any predecessor.
Those benefiting from Friday’s action “are serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy and practice,” Biden said in a statement.
The measure provides clemency to individuals who were convicted based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine and outdated sentence enhancements for drug crimes, according to the statement issued by the White House.
In December, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 federal death row inmates, converting them to life in prison without parole, ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office on January 20.
He also announced the same month that he was pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes and commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 others who were serving long prison terms.
Biden was criticized for granting a pardon to his son Hunter, who pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted of firearms-related charges.
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Defense lawyers and civil rights groups have increased efforts to highlight compelling cases and launched campaigns to help those who believe they have been wrongfully convicted or are serving excessive sentences for nonviolent offenses.
Presidents typically order a round of pardons at the end of their term.
Trump has vowed to grant clemency to at least some of his supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in a failed attempt to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
