{"id":437640,"date":"2022-04-26T13:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T10:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/biden-issues-first-pardons-prison-commutations-of-presidency\/"},"modified":"2022-04-26T13:01:00","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T10:01:00","slug":"biden-issues-first-pardons-prison-commutations-of-presidency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/biden-issues-first-pardons-prison-commutations-of-presidency\/","title":{"rendered":"#Biden issues first pardons, prison commutations of presidency"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a22c27aea255\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a22c27aea255\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/biden-issues-first-pardons-prison-commutations-of-presidency\/#%E2%80%9CBiden_issues_first_pardons_prison_commutations_of_presidency%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Biden issues first pardons, prison commutations of presidency&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CBiden_issues_first_pardons_prison_commutations_of_presidency%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Biden issues first pardons, prison commutations of presidency&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>WASHINGTON \u2014 President Biden on Tuesday issued three pardons and 75 prison sentence commutations in his first grants of clemency since taking office.<\/p>\n<p>All of the commutations and two of the three pardons went to people convicted of federal drug offenses. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday, I am pardoning three people who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation and are striving every day to give back and contribute to their communities,\u201d Biden said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am also commuting the sentences of 75 people who are serving long sentences for non-violent drug offenses, many of whom have been serving on home confinement during the COVID-pandemic \u2014 and many of whom would have received a lower sentence if they were charged with the same offense today, thanks to the bipartisan First Step Act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biden pardoned former Secret Service agent Abraham Bolden, 87, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 1964 for bribery. He was the first black man assigned to a presidential protective detail.<\/p>\n<p>Biden also pardoned Houston resident Betty Jo Bogans, 51, who received a seven-year prison sentence in 1998 for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and Georgia resident Dexter Jackson, 52, who pleaded guilty in 2002 to allowing pot dealers to use his property. Jackson runs a phone repair firm.<\/p>\n<p>Fifty-eight of the 75 sentence commutations are set to take effect in 2023, with most of those recipients technically under house arrest until then.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-813.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Abraham Bolden, 29, a suspended U.S. secret service agent is shown with his wife in corridor of the Federal building here before he was indicted. \" class=\"wp-image-22034088\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-813.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-813.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-813.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Biden pardoned former Secret Service agent Abraham Bolden, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 1964 for bribery. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Bettmann Archive<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A White House official told The Post that the decision to delay the effective date for many cases was consistent with the practice of some prior administrations. He added that \u201cthese grants, which shorten the sentences of non-violent drug offenders, will make a meaningful impact on the individuals\u2019 lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPresident Biden has issued more sentence commutations at this early point in his presidency than any of his last five predecessors at the same point in their first terms,\u201d the official said. \u201cPresident Biden has moved quickly in order to express his deep commitment to reform our justice system, address racial disparities, and provide second chances to individuals who are working hard to turn their lives around.\u00a0 At the same time, this is just the first tranche. The President and his team will continue reviewing petitions from non-violent drug offenders for additional grants of clemency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biden is responsible for some of the nation\u2019s harshest drug laws, but he pivoted ahead of the 2020 campaign to support criminal justice reform. He even said he wanted to free \u201ceveryone\u201d in prison for marijuana.<\/p>\n<p>Just five people jailed exclusively for marijuana are getting a sentence commutation and some of them will spend more time behind bars.<\/p>\n<p>Jose Colunga of Nebraska, who got a 20-year sentence in 2010 for dealing marijuana, will now be released in October 2023, according to a White House fact sheet \u2014 rather than his estimated 2027 release date. Texas resident Fermin Serna, who got a 20-year sentence, will have his prison term expire in August 2022, rather than in 2030.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-816.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A front loader picks up a massive amount of pot.\" class=\"wp-image-22034073\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-816.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-816.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-816.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>There are roughly 2,700 federal inmates incarcerated for marijuana.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP\/Idaho State Journal,Doug Lindley<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stacie Demers of Constable, New York, and Carry Le of Georgia \u2014 who got 10-year sentences in 2016 for pot dealing \u2014 will be on house arrest for a year, as will Quang Nguyen of Houston, who got a 10-year pot sentence in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>There are roughly 2,700 federal marijuana inmates and many high-profile cases didn\u2019t make the cut.<\/p>\n<p>It was not im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely clear what role outside lobbying played in the clemency grants.<\/p>\n<p>An administration official told reporters on a Monday evening call that \u201cthe Department of Justice makes recommendations to the president and the president considers those recommendations,\u201d which would be a break from the Trump era, when clemency advocacy groups and influential people routinely won over the president.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-817.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Former US President Donald Trump speaks during a Save America rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio, USA, 23 April 2022. \" class=\"wp-image-22034125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-817.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-817.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-817.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>On his last day as president, Donald Trump released two prisoners serving life without parole for marijuana under a three-strikes policy expanded by Biden..<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">EPA\/DAVID MAXWELL<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The official said Biden \u201cunderstands that too many people are serving very long sentences for nonviolent drug crimes and so he\u2019s using his clemency power as a way to try and address that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biden advocated for and authored extremely tough penalties for drug crimes in the 1980s and \u201990s. He lobbied for a since-repealed 100:1 sentencing disparity between crack cocaine, which was more commonly used by blacks, and powder cocaine. And Biden\u2019s 1994 law included $12.5 billion in grants to encourage states to adopt \u201ctruth in sentencing\u201d laws that required inmates to serve most of their sentence. <\/p>\n<p>Many drug dealers also got federal life sentences under the three-strikes policy expanded by Biden\u2019s 1994 crime law. Former President Donald Trump on his final day in office released two prisoners serving\u00a0life\u00a0without parole for\u00a0marijuana\u00a0under that rule.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-818.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"closeup on handcuffs. \" class=\"wp-image-22034139\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-818.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-818.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-818.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Biden\u2019s 1994 law gave drug dealers federal life sentences under the three-strikes policy.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Whether\u00a0Biden\u2019s 1994 law contributed to the \u201cmass\u00a0incarceration\u201d of minorities \u2014 including sending the black prison population skyward \u2014 was a matter of heated debate during the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brennancenter.org\/our-work\/analysis-opinion\/1994-crime-bill-and-beyond-how-federal-funding-shapes-criminal-justice\">New York University\u2019s Brennan Center for Justice<\/a> found the law \u201chelped fuel a prison construction boom\u201d and that \u201cwhile some states had already started to enact tougher sentencing laws, the legislation rewarded states for those decisions, providing powerful incentives for others to adopt them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The total number of prisoners in the US increased from fewer than 1.6 million in 1995 to more than 2 million in 2002.<\/p>\n<p>In a fiery Senate speech, Biden said in 1994, \u201cEvery time Richard Nixon, when he was running in 1972, would say, \u2018Law and order,\u2019 the Democratic match or response was, \u2018Law and order with justice\u2019 \u2014 whatever that meant. And I would say, \u2018Lock the S.O.B.s up.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-814.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Cornel West, philosopher, author, activist, and professor of the practice of public philosophy at Harvard speaks at the W.E.B Du Bois Medal Ceremony at Harvard's Sanders Theater in Cambridge, MA on Oct. 22, 2019.\" class=\"wp-image-22034110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-814.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-814.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-814.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Cornel West said Biden is responsible for mass incarceration as a result of his 1994 crime law.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Boston Globe via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even some\u00a0Biden\u00a0supporters slammed his record during the presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Left-wing activist and philosopher Cornel West, who begrudgingly supported\u00a0Biden\u00a0in 2020,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/cornel-west-tells-biden-to-get-off-symbolic-crack-pipe-over-crime-law-or-lose-blacks-to-trump\">said in an interview<\/a>, \u201cWhen [Biden] says [the 1994 law] didn\u2019t contribute to\u00a0mass\u00a0incarceration, I tell him he has to get off his symbolic\u00a0crack\u00a0pipe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Radio host Charlamange Tha God\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EfonicukLCs&amp;list=PLv1qHE0zuJL-oZzQoyBe2NC7vuRXDSK_f\">recounted during a TV interview<\/a>, \u201cWhen [Biden] was on the Breakfast Club, another part of that interview that people miss is that I asked him about the \u201994 crime bill, and the \u201994 crime bill being the catalyst for\u00a0mass\u00a0incarceration\u00a0in this country. And he said it wasn\u2019t the crime bill, it was the \u201986 mandatory minimum sentencing. But I\u2019m like, \u2018Joe, you wrote that too.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-812-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Alice Johnson holds a full pardon signed by President Donald Trump, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, in Washington.\" class=\"wp-image-22034138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-812-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-812-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-812-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Alice Johnson was serving a life sentence until she was released from prison by Trump.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP\/Evan Vucci<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The 1986\u00a0Biden\u00a0law led to a life sentence\u00a0for Alice Johnson,\u00a0the prominent former prisoner and advocate released from prison by Trump at the urging of Kim Kardashian.<\/p>\n<p>Trump sought to make inroads among black voters during the 2020 election by campaigning on his First Step Act, which curbed some Biden policies, including lowering the penalty for a third strike to 25 years in prison.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/26\/biden-issues-first-pardons-prison-commutations-of-presidency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Biden issues first pardons, prison commutations of presidency&#8221; WASHINGTON \u2014 President Biden on Tuesday issued three pardons and 75 prison sentence commutations in his first grants of clemency since taking office. All of the commutations and two of the three pardons went to people convicted of federal drug offenses. \u201cToday, I am pardoning three people&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":437641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/biden-pardons-commutations-index.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[128483,28291,4941,991,71263,81887],"class_list":["post-437640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-26-22","tag-clemency","tag-donald-trump","tag-joe-biden","tag-marijuana","tag-pardons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}