Civil Rights Coalition Commends President Biden for Historic Use of Clemency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Rachel Hooper, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after President Biden announced that he commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses serving disproportionately long sentences:

 “Today’s clemency action by President Biden provides relief for nearly 2,500 individuals who received lengthy sentences for drug crimes under outdated sentencing laws and discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine. This action is an essential step toward righting historical wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities that overwhelmingly harm Black and Latino people, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending too much time behind bars.

“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 finally address the harms done to communities of color through the War on Drugs and mass incarceration.

“The Leadership Conference continues to call for passage of the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act to finally eliminate the disparity between crack and powder cocaine altogether and to make that change retroactive, providing an opportunity for redress to those serving excessively long sentences.

“As President Biden completes his term, his action today further establishes a meaningful legacy through the historic and robust use of the executive clemency power in rectifying injustices, offering second chances, and prioritizing rehabilitation over retribution in our criminal-legal system. We thank President Biden for taking this unprecedented step, as he now sets the record for the most presidential pardons and commutations issued — more than 4,000 — when today’s clemency is considered alongside his other recent clemency actions that will be life-changing and life-saving for thousands of people.”

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.

###