Joe Biden, the President of the United States, on Friday decided to commute 2,500 criminal sentences for nonviolent drug-related crimes, bizarrely arguing these punishments were ‘disproportionately long’. The irony here is that these very legal guidelines leading to the so-called ‘inhumane’ sentences were once upon a time fervently supported by none other than Biden himself. One might ask, could this be a case of late realization or mere political convenience?
In a move that seemed more like a attempt to remedy past missteps rather than genuine concern, Biden proclaimed that these commutations applied to individuals who had suffered due to ‘outed’ sentencing practices. It’s worth noting that these very principles were based on a now ‘discredited’ 1986 bill, enacted during Biden’s senatorial tenure. This bill gave an equal punishment to a street-level crack cocaine peddler with just 5 grams in possession, and a wholesale powder cocaine dealer with 500 grams.
Biden was instrumental in enacting this policy which resulted in a ludicrous 100:1 ratio. Let’s break it down: essentially, an individual selling a mere 5 grams of crack cocaine faced the same severity of punishment as a dealer with 500 grams of powder cocaine. Unsurprisingly, this absurdity led to small-scale sellers, usually found on the street corners, enduring harsher sentences than the kingpins orchestrating the drug trade.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission’s subsequent findings affirmed that this system unjustifiably punished street-level sellers way more than it did wholesale dealers. As per their research, Black offenders were the ones that bore the brunt of this ill-conceived sentencing disparity. Interestingly, Congress only managed to reduce this discrepancy to 18:1 in 2010, following a prolonged period of criticism.
Now, Biden asserts that by commuting these sentences, he’s on the path to ‘correcting historic wrongs’. One can’t help but express skepticism at this sudden turnaround. Is it a sincere attempt at justice or a belated political gimmick to wash away the stains of his improbable legislation?
In reality, Biden’s latest action seems more of a vain effort to salvage a messed-up legacy rather than a substantive attempt to fix a broken system. ‘This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs,’ Biden self-righteously claimed. Yet, one cannot help but notice the sharp divergence between Biden’s past stance and this newfound ‘wokeness’.
Throughout his presidency, Biden seems to have shockingly discovered the value of ‘clemency’. Or perhaps, the approach showcases an attempt to influence public opinion. This becomes evident in some of his final acts, which were largely focused on implementing unprecedented levels of ‘clemency’.
Undoubtedly, one of the most contentious moves arrived on the 1st of December when Biden pardoned his own son, Hunter, who had been convicted of guns and tax-related offenses. Hunter’s pardon understandably raised eyebrows. If not emissive of sheer paternal favoritism, it certainly made onlookers question the true intention behind such ‘clemency’ acts.
In addition to Hunter, other non-violent offenders also tasted freedom. On Dec. 12, Biden pardoned 39 individuals convicted of nonviolent crimes and commuted sentences of 1,499 people. It’s worth questioning whether this surge in commutations is a genuine attempt to address serious systemic issues, or merely an effort to inflate his clemency statistics.
Just days later, on December 23, Biden reduced the sentences of the majority of inmates on federal death row to life imprisonment. Not one, not two, but a whopping 37 out of the 40 death row inmates had their sentences commuted. It seems as if Biden is on a mission to leave his mark as the chief pardoner, rather than addressing the underlying haunt of violent crime that plagues the country.
Biden’s rampage of commutations and pardons led him to self-appoint as the record-holder for the highest number of these actions in U.S. history. This certainly induces deep concern. It is disconcerting to see the president more focused on inflating his humanitarian numbers rather than concentrating on the pressing issues of social, economic, and global dynamics.
The irony arises when you recall that President-elect Donald Trump had already brought a wave of change in his first presidency. The First Step Act he signed into law impacted the lives of thousands of inmates, reducing their sentences significantly. Unlike Biden, Trump’s legal initiatives were forward-thinking and focused more on structuring systems and implementing reforms than superficially escalating clemency numbers.
Trump, in his campaigns for his upcoming presidency, voiced a controversial yet impactful strategy of tackling drug dealing – executing drug dealers. Although triggering an uproar among a section of society, this stance left a mark in addressing one of the country’s hardest battles.
Still, Biden seems to be on a relentless streak. On Friday, he signaled that his ‘clemency’ spree was not at its end, promising to ‘review additional commutations and pardons’. This rhetoric must make citizens question, is such a vast number of pardons and commutations legitimizing crime rather than truly seeking justice?
Conclusively, Biden’s shift on crime and punishment appears inconsistent at best and self-serving at worst. The long list of pardons and commutations, while possibly benefiting some individuals, has strong implications for the broader justice system. Only time will reveal the remnants of a flawed deterrent system that Biden seems determined to leave behind.
Given these contexts and Biden’s dubious track record, skepticism remains as to whether the President’s actions symbolize a well-thought-out, humane strategy, or they merely reflect attempts to bandage a legacy mired by past errors. Can these efforts be truly deemed as ‘righting historical wrongs’, or will they just transform the justice system into a mockery?