By Ashlee Banks
Special to the AFRO
With less than two months remaining in his term, President Joe Biden faces pressure from Democratic lawmakers to maximize his time in office. They are urging him to extend clemency to thousands of incarcerated individuals, particularly those serving unjust sentences and women punished for defending themselves against abuse.
On Nov. 21, nearly 70 lawmakers sent a letter to Biden, calling on him to utilize his executive powers to reunite families, rectify long-standing injustices within the legal system, and take steps towards ending mass incarceration.
“Now is the time to exercise your clemency authority to amend unjust and unnecessary criminal laws enacted by Congress and the harsh sentences imposed by judges,” the letter stated.
“The granting of pardons and commutations, along with the restoration of rights, will send a strong message nationwide in support of fundamental fairness and the pursuit of meaningful criminal justice reform,” it added.
The United States has the highest incarceration rate globally, with nearly 2 million individuals behind bars. This issue disproportionately affects marginalized communities and imposes a significant financial burden on taxpayers, costing approximately $182 billion annually—more than double the budget for the Department of Education.
“The inflated prison system perpetuates biases that undermine our nation’s ideals and erode trust in the rule of law,” the lawmakers emphasized in their letter.
In a statement obtained by the AFRO, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.-07) remarked that mass incarceration is “one of our nation’s greatest failures.”
“Having grown up with an incarcerated parent, I can only imagine how different my childhood might have been if my father had received the help he needed,” said Pressley. “Instead of compassion, the system offered him criminalization and incarceration for his substance use disorder.”
She added, “My story is not unique. Nationwide, fifty percent of adults have had an immediate family member incarcerated. This is a tragedy and a damning indictment of our nation’s state.”
Several non-profit organizations are also calling on the president to take action before he leaves office.
In a statement obtained by the AFRO, Rev. Sharon Risher, board chair of the Death Penalty Action is urging Biden to act swiftly.
“As a family member of several victims of one of the most notorious killers on federal death row, I urge President Biden to act broadly, as soon as possible,” she said. “Clemency means mercy. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
Jason Ortiz, director of strategic initiatives at Last Prisoner Project, said in a statement obtained by the AFRO that Biden has the authority to reunite families, yet “the clock is running out.”
“We implore the President to right history and shift our approach on cannabis from punitive punishment to compassionate clemency,” said Ortiz.
Catherine Sevcenko of the National Council for Formerly Incarcerated and Incarcerated Women and Girls said in a statement obtained by the AFRO that Biden should follow in former President Barack Obama’s footsteps.
“President Obama granted clemency to 1,700 people in the months before he left office. President Biden should double Obama’s benchmark…incarcerated people deserve to come home: the elderly, ill, victims of the war on drugs and people who are being punished for fighting back against their abusers,” she said.
For years, Pressley and her Democratic colleagues have proposed legislation aimed at addressing the mass incarceration crisis. In 2021, Pressley, along with U.S. Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.-1) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.-8), introduced the Fair and Independent Experts in Clemency (FIX Clemency) Act. This legislation sought to establish a U.S. Clemency Board to evaluate pardon applications and make recommendations directly to the president, bypassing the Department of Justice. The board would include nine members, featuring a formerly incarcerated individual and various behavioral specialists. This approach aims to mitigate perceived biases within the DOJ that may adversely affect minority communities.
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