The Leadership Conference Commends President Biden’s Additional Use of Clemency, Calls for More Action
WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after President Biden announced the commutations of the sentences of the majority of those on federal death row:
“We celebrate President Biden’s important step toward mercy and fairness by commuting the majority of federal death sentences to life without the possibility of parole. The death penalty does not advance public safety, but it does discriminate and is cruel. State-sanctioned killing as a form of criminal punishment is, in all cases, both inhumane and in conflict with our country’s most fundamental principles.
“The president’s courageous decision is critically important and demonstrates that the administration understands this nation urgently needs broad and systemic criminal-legal reforms that prioritize rehabilitation over retribution. While the death penalty continues in some countries with authoritarian rule, the United States is an outlier among democracies as it continues to execute individuals. President Biden’s recognition that the death penalty must be halted at the federal level will prove to be one of the most meaningful parts of his legacy. The Leadership Conference has long opposed the death penalty because it perpetuates patterns of racial and economic oppression endemic to the American criminal-legal system.
“This historic and robust use of the executive clemency power must continue. We look forward to any and all additional steps President Biden will take in his remaining days in office to commute the sentences of more individuals, including those who are currently incarcerated despite changes in the law.”
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
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