WASHINGTON, D.C. – FWD.us has released a statement detailing the impact of President Joe Biden’s January 2025 clemency initiative, which granted commutations to more than 2,100 individuals serving “extreme, outdated, and racially disparate federal prison terms.”
According to FWD.us, the vast majority of those granted clemency were Black men convicted of federal drug offenses and sentenced under outdated, racially discriminatory laws.
The organization reported that at least 135 of the clemency recipients had been serving life or de facto life sentences and would likely have died in prison without the commutations.
“Clemency is, at its best, a life-saving and life-changing action that we’ll need much more of if we hope to remedy decades of failed policymaking in our criminal justice system,” said Zoë Towns, Executive Director of FWD.us.
Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) supported the clemency initiative, stating that Biden’s actions “delivered a measure of justice for over 2,100 people unduly targeted during the failed War on Drugs.” She also urged Congress to pass the Second Look Act to further address sentencing disparities.
Additionally, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) noted that 50 of the clemency recipients were from Georgia and were collectively spared 16,340 years of incarceration for offenses that would no longer carry such harsh penalties today.
FWD.us reported that 88% of those granted clemency were Black and that individuals from 48 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were among those released.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson stated, “The War on Drugs was a war on Black and brown people. Not only was it a failure, it left communities less safe and put thousands of people behind bars for decades,” according to FWD.us.
April Verrett, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), said the clemency “illustrates why President Biden’s bold actions were necessary and impactful,” FWD.us reported.
The organization emphasized that these commutations were the result of years of advocacy by families, civil rights organizations, national labor unions, conservative reformers, and nearly 90 members of Congress.
