WASHINGTON — On Thursday, President Joe Biden pardoned 39 people convicted of nonviolent offenses and shortened the sentences of about 1,500 people who were placed in home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The promise of opportunity and second chances was the foundation upon which America was built,” Biden said in a statement.He pointed out that many of the 1,500 were serving lengthy terms that, under the laws, regulations, and practices in place today, would be shorter.
It’s the biggest one-day mercy grant in contemporary history as the Biden presidency comes to an end.
Before his tenure expires on January 20, the president stated that his government will continue to consider clemency petitions. Recent Department of Justice clemency statistics show that over 9,400 petitions for clemency were sent to the White House.
Biden stated that as President, he has the great honor of showing mercy to those who have shown repentance and rehabilitation, giving Americans the chance to resume their daily lives and contribute to their communities, and taking action to eliminate sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, particularly those convicted of drug offenses.
The White House released brief biographies of the 39 persons who were pardoned, including Michael Gary Pelletier, 67, of Augusta, Maine, who entered a guilty plea to a nonviolent offense.
Following his sentence, Pelletier volunteered for the HAZMAT team, helping with hazardous spills and natural disasters, and worked for 20 years at a water treatment facility. He now helps to help injured veterans and plants vegetables for a nearby soup kitchen.
Nina Simona Allen of Harvest, Alabama, received another pardon.
According to the White House, Allen, 49, was found guilty of a nonviolent crime when she was in her 20s. She obtained two master’s degrees and a post-baccalaureate degree after her conviction, and she currently works in teaching. She also works as a volunteer at a nearby nursing home and soup kitchen.
Hunter Biden pardon
Following the president’s full pardon of his son Hunter Biden for all charges related to guns, taxes, and other misdeeds from 2014 to December, the clemency step was taken. The president had previously declared that he would not pardon his son, but he later changed his mind after claiming that Republicans were continuously targeting him.
Biden’s other clemency initiatives include pardoning former US service members who were found guilty under military law of engaging in consensual sex with same-sex partners—a law that has since been repealed—and commuting sentences for those serving sentences for simple possession and use of marijuana under federal and District of Columbia law.
Additionally, before President-elect Donald Trump takes office again, Democrats and advocates have urged Biden to use his mercy powers on behalf of the 40 prisoners on federal death row. Trump hastened 13 federal death row executions in the final six months of his first administration, which is why Democrats have campaigned for this.
Biden should not stop now, according to a joint statement from Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper, co-executive directors of Popular Democracy in Action, a progressive advocacy group.
According to them, thousands more of our people who have suffered at the hands of an unfair system are still waiting for compassion and release.
The White House reports that the president pardoned the following people for nonviolent offenses:
Alabama
Allen, Nina Simona
California
Ekman, Gregory S.
Colorado
Williams, Johnnie Earl
Connecticut
Harris, Sherranda Janell
Delaware
Sellers of Patrice Chante
District of Columbia
Brown, Norman O. Neal
Florida
Rodriguez, Jose Antonio
Illinois
Villanueva, Diana Bazan
Indiana
Nelson, Emily Good
Kentucky
Jones, Edwin Allen
Louisiana
Fulton, Trynitha
Maine
Pelletier, Michael Gary
Maryland
Byrd, Arthur Lawrence
Minnesota
Becklin, Kelsie Lynn
Carlson, Sarah Jean
Walker, Lashawn Marrvinia
Nevada
Wood, Lora Nicole
New Mexico
Garcia, Paul John
New York
Warner, Kimberly Jo
Ohio
Arthur Duran Brown
Haman, Kim Douglas
King, Jamal Lee
Stidd, James Russell
Oklahoma
Faulkner, Shannan Rae
Oregon
Robinson, Gary Michael
South Carolina
Parker, Denita Nicole
Dorothea Shawnte Williams
Tennessee
Yarbrough, James Edgar
Texas
Reed III, Nathaniel David
Walmsley, Mireya Aimee
Wilson, Lashundra Tenneal
Utah
Doyle, Stevoni Wells
Virginia
Brandon Castroflay, Sergio
Washington
Davis, Rosetta Jean
Jackson, Terence Anthony
Portner, Russell Thomas
Wisconsin
Manning, Jerry Donald
Simone, Audrey Diane
Wyoming
Moore, Honi Lori
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