US President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates, changing their sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The commutation affects individuals convicted of serious crimes, including murder, with some of the inmates having killed fellow prisoners or committed violent crimes during bank robberies.
In a statement, Biden condemned the crimes but expressed his strong opposition to the use of the death penalty at the federal level. He said he remains “more convinced than ever” that the federal government should halt the use of the death penalty.
This decision is significant as it comes before President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office in January. Trump had resumed federal executions in 2020 after a 17-year hiatus, with 13 inmates put to death in his final months in office.
Biden, who has long opposed the death penalty, emphasized his moral stance against it, explaining that he could not allow a new administration to resume executions. The commuted sentences will not affect inmates on death row in state courts, where the death penalty is still practiced in many states.
