Biden considers commuting the sentences of death row inmates
As President Biden nears the end of his term, there are reports that he is considering commuting the sentences of most, if not all, of the 40 men on federal death row. This potential move would go against President-elect Trump’s plan to streamline executions as he prepares to take office in January, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Attorney General Merrick Garland, who oversees federal prisons, has recommended that Biden commute all but a few egregious sentences. Exceptions could include individuals such as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Robert Bowers, and Dylann Roof, who have been convicted of heinous crimes.
Among those who could see their death sentences commuted to life in prison are individuals like an ex-Marine who committed multiple murders, a man convicted of kidnapping and killing a young girl, and a Chicago podiatrist who killed a patient to prevent her from testifying in a fraud investigation. The decision to commute these sentences follows a conversation between President Biden and Pope Francis, where the Pope asked for the commutation of America’s condemned inmates during his weekly prayer.
It is anticipated that a decision from the president could come before Christmas, with the main question being the extent of the commutation for the death row inmates. President Biden, a devout Catholic, is the first president to openly oppose capital punishment. During his 2020 campaign, he pledged to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level and encourage states to follow suit.
While Biden initially considered issuing an executive order on this matter in January 2021, no action was taken. Attorney General Merrick Garland later imposed a moratorium on federal capital punishment to conduct further research on the topic. As a result, no federal executions have taken place under the Biden administration.
As this potential decision looms, it underscores President Biden’s commitment to criminal justice reform and his stance against capital punishment. It remains to be seen how this move will be received by the public and the families of the victims involved in these cases.
