Staff Reports
In a move that could only be likened to trying to fix a leaky dam with Band-Aids, President Biden has decided to commute the sentences of about 1,500 inmates who were temporarily released during the pandemic, along with an additional 39 pardons for nonviolent offenders. This unprecedented single-day clemency spree has thrown open the gates of the White House, allowing Biden to play Santa to those who clearly had a chaotic past but may have found their better angels after a few years on the couch. It’s as if he believes that home confinement was just a fancy way to binge-watch Netflix while contemplating life choices.
According to Biden’s team, these lucky recipients had all completed at least a year on their home confinement sentences. This was a decision born out of necessity, as COVID-19 circled through prisons like a hungry shark. With 20% of prisoners entertaining the virus at one point, it became a pressing issue for the administration to shuffle bodies away from the virus’s grip. Speaking of shuffling, Biden believes he has the moral authority to restore these individuals to society, citing second chances like they’re party favors he just discovered in the back of a closet.
President Joe Biden commutes nearly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in what the White House says marks the largest act of clemency in a single day in modern US history https://t.co/FrxVi51FcY pic.twitter.com/xYqxPc8bJH
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 12, 2024
The Biden administration claims that those receiving clemency have shown enough remorse and rehabilitation. Among the pardoned are a strong lineup including a woman who coordinated emergency response during disasters, a church deacon moonlighting as a youth and addiction counselor, and a former military veteran, proving that not all criminal pasts are created equal. These figures supposedly underline a narrative that all is forgiven if you had a change of heart and spend your days doing good deeds. Letting criminals out of the pen because they found Jesus or a purpose would make one question if repentance now includes a cozy seat on the couch.
Ironically, this move comes on the heels of policy discussions that closer resemble a game of political chess than actual criminal justice reform. As if to highlight the absurdity, these pardons follow a rather dubious pardon for Hunter Biden, who seems to get a free pass for his tax and gun infractions because, well, it’s family. Meanwhile, pressure mounts for Biden to increase his pardon rates even further, with cries surrounding everyone from environmental activists to those on federal death row. After all, nothing says “justice” quite like a sudden rush of leniency when the clock’s ticking down to departure day.
With Trump’s return looming on the horizon, the Biden administration’s pardoning spree feels more like a desperate attempt to clean house before parting ways, potentially leaving a mess behind for the next occupant. While many are urging Biden to run damage control to protect his party’s vested interests, it’s difficult to ignore the irony of him now playing judge and jury for political prisoners. The decision to grant clemency strikes more as a means of buying favor than a genuine effort at justice reform, one more reminder of how far the pendulum can swing in politics, continuously blurring the lines between law, morality, and electoral advantage.
