WASHINGTON, D.C. – A recent investigation from Bolts Magazine reveals that multiple federal death row prisoners whose sentences were commuted by former President Joe Biden are now facing transfer to ADX Florence, the nation’s most restrictive federal prison, raising constitutional questions and accusations of retaliation.
Bolts reports that death-sentenced individuals held at ADX are confined in isolation “22 to 24 hours a day in small concrete cells which are less than the area of a standard parking space” with little to no human contact. A former warden previously described the facility as “a clean version of hell” and “much worse than death.”
The report explains that one of the commutation recipients, Rejon Taylor, was recently notified he would be moved from Terre Haute to ADX despite what he told Bolts is “a clean disciplinary record” and his current role working as an orderly with movement privileges. Taylor told Bolts the transfer “doesn’t make sense,” adding that he fears “being locked in my cell almost all day” and losing “the connection with the outside world which is my lifeline.”
According to Bolts, only three individuals remain on federal death row after the commutations, making it impossible for President Donald Trump to resume executions at the pace he set during his first term. On Truth Social, Trump attacked the commutations, labeling the prisoners “liars” and writing “GO TO HELL!” He also directed the Department of Justice to examine whether the individuals were being held under conditions “consistent with the monstrosity of their crimes” before releasing details about their location.
Bolts reported that new U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered staff on her first day to expedite the reviews Trump demanded. Last April, lawyers for 21 of the prisoners filed a federal lawsuit alleging the Biden clemency recipients were being subjected to a “sham process” designed to place them “under the most oppressive conditions in the whole federal prison system.” Attorneys argue the practice violates due process as well as the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The article notes that eight prisoners have already been transferred to ADX, while a temporary restraining order prevents some others from being moved. Taylor told Bolts that he initially believed he would be sent to a standard high-security facility rather than a supermax prison, and said learning that he may never receive another contact visit made him feel as if he “was never given clemency.”
Bolts reports that Bureau of Prisons placement policy requires officials to consider security needs, medical conditions, program access and proximity to family with the stated intent of placing individuals in the “least restrictive environment necessary.” Yet, letters issued to clemency recipients stated they were being designated as threats despite what Bolts describes as clean records. In Taylor’s case, officials classified him as a member of a “security threat group” labeled “Death Row Inmate,” though he is no longer on death row.
Affidavits cited by Bolts describe inaccurate and confused hearing records, including prisoners being mixed up with others and ADX referrals being approved within hours of hearings. Gary Mohr, former president of the American Correctional Association, told Bolts that the Trump administration’s position contradicts fundamental correctional practice, saying, “I fail to see any logical reason to transfer inmates who have been compliant to a more restrictive environment.”
According to Bolts, at least 10 clemency recipients have significant mental health histories, including prior suicide attempts. Psychology professor Craig Haney told Bolts that “mentally ill people are more likely to deteriorate and decompensate” in extreme isolation. The American Psychiatric Association states people with severe mental illness should not spend more than four weeks in solitary confinement.
Bolts also reports that attorneys argue ADX cannot provide adequate mental health treatment. Robert Dunham, director of the Death Penalty Policy Project, told Bolts that transferring people solely because they received mercy is unconstitutional retaliation, stating, “You cannot put a thumb on the treat-them-badly side of the scale because their sentences were commuted.”
The article references a similar legal outcome in Connecticut, where courts ruled that placing former death row prisoners in harsher conditions than the general population after abolition violated constitutional protections.
Taylor described the looming transfer as “a sense of doom,” telling Bolts the group feels “marked for retribution” and fears “being buried alive at ADX.” He added that losing contact with supporters and family would “break my sanity, my stability, my sense of security… I am afraid of that kind of social death.”
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