President Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly all federal death row inmates, the White House announced Monday. This comes just two weeks after his "largest single-day grant of clemency" in American history.
Of the 40 inmates on death row, Biden is commuting 37 sentences to life without parole, according to DeathPenaltyInfo.org. The three excluded are Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, responsible for mass killings.
The resentenced men committed heinous crimes, including murdering children, law enforcement officers, and other inmates. Some were set to be executed alongside co-defendants.
Biden only supports federal executions for "terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder." He said this move prevents future administrations from carrying out executions no longer aligned with current policies.
After taking office in 2021, Biden declared a moratorium on federal executions. He reaffirmed his stance with these commutations.
The list of spared inmates includes killers like Marcivicci Barnette, who murdered during a carjacking, and Thomas Sanders, who killed a 12-year-old girl. Others, like Brandon Council and Daryl Lawrence, killed during bank robberies.
Some, like Kaboni Savage, committed multiple murders over years. Savage directed the arson that killed six members of a federal informant's family.
Co-defendants, including Jurijus Kadamovas and Iouri Mikhel, killed for ransom, while others, like Shannon Agofsky, murdered fellow inmates. These cases span a wide range of brutal acts.
This decision follows Biden's earlier commutations for nearly 1,500 prisoners and pardons for 40 others, including his son, Hunter. Critics and supporters have voiced strong reactions.
Biden has issued more commutations at this point in his presidency than recent predecessors. Officials called the decision "courageous," citing benefits to correctional staff.
Former corrections director Justin Jones praised Biden, saying, "Resources can be allocated more rationally, and staff won’t face the harm of participating in executions."
Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative added, "This marks an important turning point, sending a strong message that the death penalty is not the answer."
Biden condemned the criminals' "despicable acts" and grieved for the victims’ families. Still, he stated, "I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted."