In a dramatic public announcement, President Joe Biden unveiled his decision to commute the sentences of a whopping 37 of 40 prisoners on federal death row, changing their sanctioned punishments to life imprisonment. This move raises serious concerns about the future security of our citizens, considering the severity of crimes committed by these prisoners. The decision was announced merely weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, a firm supporter of capital punishment, is slated to assume office.
Among the convicts being spared, include those convicted of heinous crimes, like the killings of police and military officers, civilians on federal land, participants in fatal bank and drug-related incidents, and murderers operating within federal facilities. This move has, in essence, left only three federal inmates still condemned to execution. However, the shifting landscape of justice and punishment in the American law and order system is expected to undergo significant changes under the Trump administration.
The three remaining prisoners sentenced to death are Dylann Roof, the murderer behind the enraging racially-motivated Charleston church shooting in 2015, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 2013 Boston Marathon bomber, and Robert Bowers, responsible for the antisemitic shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018. Yet Biden, showing utter disregard for the magnitude of their crimes, stressed the consistency of his decision with his administration’s ill-conceived moratorium on federal executions.
Biden, who during his career claimed to be dedicated to reducing violent crime, further noted that his commutations were in line with his administration’s moratorium on federal executions. This appears to be yet another thinly veiled effort to portray a false image of fairness and efficacy in his justice system, despite leaving serious loopholes for certain types of crimes.
This decision follows the Biden administration’s 2021 announcement of the suspension of federal capital punishment, under the pretext of studying the protocols. This move stalled all executions during Biden’s term, hinting at his inconsistent stance over the years. In the past, he pledged to end federal executions without any caveats for terrorism or hate-motivated mass killings, aligning with the soft-handed approach to crime prevalent among Democrats.
When running for president in 2020, Biden even suggested his intent to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level entirely. His campaign went as far as to promise incentives for states to follow suit, yet this rhetoric seemingly disappeared before he withdrew from the presidential race. This inconsistency exposes a worrying lack of adherence to promises and transparency that is typical of democrat candidates.
In his statement, Biden attempted to portray empathy, stating his condemnation of the murderers, sympathy for the victims, and a readiness to support their families. However, his decision to stop the use of the federal death penalty explicitly contradicts any assertion of seeking justice for victims’ families.
In a masterstroke of political maneuvering, Biden took a jab at Trump, stating he could not let a new administration resume the executions he had halted. Here, he failed to acknowledge Trump’s staunch commitment to tackling crime and ensuring justice is served, a stark contrast to Biden’s own flip-flopping stance.
President-elect Trump has been vocal about his intent to expand executions, a policy aligned with his focus on security and justice. During his anticipated 2024 campaign, Trump expressed his commitment to giving drug sellers the death penalty for their heinous actions. Promising to act strictly against drug and human smugglers, his stance appreciates the seriousness of these crimes unlike Biden’s lax approach.
Trump’s first term saw him openly advocate for the death penalty for drug dealers, echoing the firmness required to handle such grave situations. The period witnessed 13 federal executions, an unmatched record in modern history. Importantly, his dedication to justice implies a stark contrast to Biden’s flimsy stance which only encourages criminal actions.
Biden’s decision to commute these sentences was influenced by pressure from certain advocacy groups. These groups aimed to increase hurdles for the incoming Trump administration and its attempts to use capital punishment as a deterrent for federal inmates. Given Trump’s dedication to maintaining law and order, such hurdles are merely roadblocks to justice.
Adding to his already questionable acts, Biden also commuted the sentences of 1,500 individuals released on home confinement during the COVID pandemic – alongside 39 others accused of non-violent crimes. This unprecedented act of clemency, the largest in modern history, is starkly contrasted against Trump’s commitment to public safety.
Recently, Biden controversially pardoned his son, Hunter, on federal gun and tax charges despite earlier claims that he would not issue a pardon. This not only sparked an uproar in Washington but also raised concerns about his possible intentions of issuing more such pardons for administration officials and allies who could be ‘unfairly targeted’ by Trump’s second administration – an indirect admission of guilt, perhaps.
Catholics worldwide eagerly await Biden’s visit to Italy where he will reportedly meet Pope Francis. The Pope recently called for prayers for U.S. death row inmates, hoping their sentences will be commuted. It appears that Biden, a practicing Catholic himself, is more influenced by the Pope’s pleas than the heinous nature of the crimes committed by these convicts.
Martin Luther King III commended the President for his decision, claiming Biden ‘took meaningful and lasting action to acknowledge the death penalty’s racist roots and remedy its persistent unfairness.’ However, such statements turn a blind eye to the severity of the crimes committed by these prisoners and ignore the need for just punishments.
Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer, took a strangely complacent stance on the commutation of the sentence of his partner’s killer – leading one to question if this viewpoint is shared by others affected by such crimes. These commutations, and their celebration by some, inevitably cast a dismal cloud of leniency over the gravity of these grave criminal acts.