Biden Reduces Sentences for Most Federal Death Row Inmates

President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, the White House announced Monday. This action reduces the sentences of all but three individuals currently on federal death row.

Biden stated the decision aligns with the moratorium his administration has placed on federal executions, with exceptions made for cases involving terrorism and hate-fueled mass killings. Those excluded from the commutations include Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted for the Boston Marathon bombing; Robert Bowers, responsible for the antisemitic attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue; and Dylann Roof, who murdered nine Black churchgoers in a racially motivated shooting in South Carolina.

According to a White House fact sheet, the commutations reclassify the sentences from execution to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. In a statement, Biden expressed his condemnation of the crimes committed, his sympathy for the victims, and his resolve to end the federal death penalty.

"Make no mistake I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable miss," Biden wrote in a statement about the commutations. The move follows widespread calls from activists, civil rights organizations, and religious leaders for Biden to address the federal death penalty. Pope Francis recently urged clemency for death row inmates during an Angelus address, calling for prayer and action to prevent executions. Biden, a devout Catholic, is set to meet with the pope during an upcoming visit to the Vatican.

In December, more than 130 civil and human rights groups sent a letter urging Biden to commute all federal death sentences. The letter highlighted racial disparities in death penalty cases, noting that 38% of federal death row inmates are Black, despite Black Americans comprising just 14% of the U.S. population. It also emphasized the irreversible nature of such actions and the potential for a legacy-defining decision.

This decision marks a significant step in Biden’s broader efforts to address racial and systemic injustices within the criminal justice system.