Shortly before the end of his term in office, US President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of dozens of people to life imprisonment without parole. The White House released the names of the 37 people convicted under federal law, about whom Biden, an avowed opponent of the death penalty, said: “Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, I mourn the victims of their despicable acts and I sympathize with all the families , who have suffered an unimaginable and final loss.”
The 82-year-old Democrat justified his decision based on his conscience and his experience as a public defender and politician.
Moratorium is likely to end under Trump
“I am more convinced than ever that we must end the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” emphasized Biden. Under his aegis, a moratorium on executions at the federal level has been in effect since July 2021.
The president cannot pardon death row inmates convicted in the states. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, more than 2,000 people are currently on death row in U.S. prisons. Biden has explicitly excluded three of the 40 inmates sentenced to death at the federal level from commuting their sentences – namely those who were convicted of terrorism or hate-motivated mass murders, including the surviving Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
“I cannot stand idly by and allow a new administration to resume executions that I have suspended,” Biden said. His successor, Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, is a strong supporter of the death penalty. The Republican is believed to end Biden’s moratorium. Trump’s spokesman called Biden’s decision “abhorrent.” It is a slap in the face to the victims and their relatives.
During the election campaign, Trump advocated, among other things, the execution of migrants who killed US citizens or police officers. In the last seven months of his first term, Trump carried out 13 federal executions – more than any US president in decades.
Attitudes toward the death penalty are changing
The death penalty is still permitted in the USA at the federal level, in the military and in 27 states, but is no longer carried out everywhere. While most Americans still support the death penalty for murderers, their slim majority on the issue continues to shrink.
Advances in forensic science and revelations of miscarriages of justice are calling into question the presumed guilt of convicts who have already been executed. At the same time, discrimination in the criminal justice system is criticized – because studies show that the death penalty is more likely to be imposed if the victims are white. Additionally, blacks often receive harsher sentences than whites for similar crimes. The quality of legal representation also plays a crucial role and often leads to inequalities.
Big pardon before the farewell
Just over a week ago, Biden had already reduced the federal prison sentences of almost 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others – a tradition that many US presidents follow at the end of their terms in office. The pardon of his son Hunter Biden at the beginning of December caused a particular stir. The 54-year-old had admitted tax offenses and was also found guilty of weapons law violations.
