Recently, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates, changing their sentences from death to life imprisonment without parole. This decision was made just before his upcoming trip to Italy, where he will meet Pope Francis. In his statement, Biden expressed a principled stance against the death penalty and wanted to prevent the next president from resuming executions, clearly referring to President-elect Donald Trump.
Biden's actions appear politically motivated. He commuted the sentences of prisoners involved in heinous crimes while choosing not to commute the sentences of three high-profile killers: Dylann Roof, Robert Bowers, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who were all involved in racially or religiously motivated mass murders. Biden argued that he believes in stopping federal executions, except in cases involving terrorism and hate crimes. He seemed to base his choices on the public visibility and political implications of each case.
Many Americans hold divided views on the death penalty. Generally, most people have supported it throughout history. Presently, a majority53%favor the death penalty according to Gallup polls. The cases of the prisoners on federal death row are complex, with many convicted of terrible acts. They have undergone the legal process and received appropriate sentences.
Biden's decisions seem to stem from a need to navigate political pressures. He has faced criticism for previous clemency acts and aimed to avoid further political fallout from these pardons. Following the commutations, Republican Senator Tom Cotton criticized Biden’s rationale, arguing that it reveals a lack of principled opposition to the death penalty since the most controversial cases were not commuted. Overall, Biden's decisions regarding these sentences seem more about political expediency than a clear moral stance against the death penalty.
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