President Biden on Monday commuted the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row, and their sentences will be reclassified from execution to life without the possibility of parole.
The president, in announcing the commutations, said he is “more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
Some of those pardoned include Billie Jerome Allen, who was sentenced to death in 1998, Carlos David Caro, who has been on death row for over 15 years, and Len Davis, who has been on death row for over 25 years, among dozens of others.
“These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder,” Biden said in a statement.
“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” he said.
Last week , the president announced pardons for 39 people and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 others, setting a new daily record for clemency with a focus on those who were under home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden’s pardons and commutations this month come as he has been under pressure to pardon more people after he granted one for his son, Hunter Biden, after insisting for over a year that he would not.
