The Biden Administration announced Friday that it will commute the sentences of 31 U.S. prisoners to »nonviolent» drug-related convictions as part of a broader policy aimed at correcting flaws in the justice system.
»These individuals, who have been successfully serving sentences of home confinement, have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation, including getting jobs and improving their education,» the White House said in a statement.
The Biden Administration has advocated that many of these prisoners »would have received a lesser sentence had they been charged with the same crime today due to the change in laws,» referring to the 2018 reform of the U.S. penal system.
The commutation, which reduces the sentence, although the conviction remains in force, coincides with the launch of the so-called Strategic Plan for Alternatives, Rehabilitation and Reentry, which raises other measures for prisoners, such as access to housing, health care, employment or education.
By investing in crime prevention and a fairer criminal justice system, we can address the root causes of crime, improve individual and community outcomes, and ease the burden on the police,» said Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice, according to Bloomberg.
Biden has issued nearly 80 commutations during his term, according to State Department data. He has also pardoned nine prisoners and pardoned some 6,000 for marijuana possession, according to CBS.
The Biden Administration announced in October 2022 the elimination of previous convictions for marijuana possession in an attempt to put the focus back on the agenda of legalization and decriminalization of this substance in the country.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
