Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Biden Commutes Death Sentences for 37 Federal Inmates in Final Weeks as President

The decision, which leaves only three individuals on federal death row, has drawn both praise and criticism from victims' families, activists, and political leaders.

  • President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without parole, citing his opposition to the death penalty.
  • The three individuals excluded from the commutations were convicted of terrorism or hate-motivated mass murders, including the Boston Marathon bomber and Charleston church shooter.
  • Victims' families expressed mixed reactions, with some condemning the move as dismissive of justice and others supporting it as consistent with moral and faith-based values.
  • President-elect Donald Trump criticized the decision, pledging to reinstate and expand the use of capital punishment after his inauguration in January 2025.
  • Biden described the commutations as aligned with his conscience and policy goals, emphasizing his desire to prevent future federal executions under a new administration.
Hero image