Biden grants clemency to 31 drug offenders
President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 31 nonviolent drug offenders Friday as the White House rolled out a broad initiative that aims to bolster the “redemption and rehabilitation” of people previously incarcerated through greater access to housing, jobs, food and other assistance.
The actions came during what Biden has proclaimed as Second Chance Month, an attempt to put a greater focus on helping those with criminal records rebuild their lives.
The 31 commutations were for people convicted of nonviolent drug crimes, who were serving time in home confinement and taking advantage of education and employment opportunities, the White House said. Many would have received a lower sentence if they were charged with the same offense today due to changes in the law, including the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice bill signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in December 2018.
At a briefing for reporters, Susan Rice, director of the Domestic Policy Council, described the series of measures as prudent steps to improve public safety while safeguarding taxpayer dollars by increasing the chances that people released from prison will have opportunities to live rehabilitated lives.
“As many as one in three Americans have a criminal history record, yet far too many of them face barriers to getting a job or home, obtaining health care or finding the capital to start a business,” Rice said. “By investing in crime prevention and a fairer criminal justice system, we can tackle the root causes of crime, improve individual and community outcomes and ease the burden on police.”
The effort includes more than 100 actions across 20 agencies, ranging from the Department of Education to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Bureau of Prisons. Under the changes, people leaving prison could have more access to housing vouchers, Pell grants, food benefits and small business loans, Rice said.
“We are expanding access to health care by establishing a new opportunity for state Medicaid programs to cover services for incarcerated people 90 days before their release in support of their reentry,” she said. “We are also expanding access to medications for opioid use disorder for people in federal custody, as well as state and local facilities.”
Biden has used his clemency powers previously. In October, for example, he pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and urged the governors across the nation to consider doing the same at the state level. The pardons were said to affect about 6,500 people and thousands more in the District of Columbia.
In his proclamation of April as Second Chance Month, Biden said the justice system should “be based on the simple premise that once someone completes their sentence, they should have the chance to earn a living, build a life, and participate in our democracy as fellow citizens.” To do that, “we need education, job, and substance use programs, during and after incarceration,” he said.
The proclamation also outlined several steps the administration has taken, including investments in mental health and substance abuse programs and funding of an initiative to keep youths from becoming involved in the juvenile justice system.