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President Biden on Tuesday pardoned three people, including the first agent of the Black Secret Service for Presidential Detail, and commuted the sentences of 75 nonviolent drug criminals amid calls by criminal justice advocates for more leniency in a system that has disproportionately harmed blacks.
“America is a nation with laws and a second chance, redemption and rehabilitation,” the president said in a statement. “Elected officials on both sides of the road, leaders of the faith, civil rights defenders and law enforcement leaders agree that our criminal justice system can and must reflect these core values that enable safer and more -strong communities.
This was the first time Biden used his pardon powers in his presidency. Many in the Democratic Party demanded that he exercise his executive power, especially in the area of criminal justice restructuring, and fulfill the campaign’s promises to reduce the number of non-violent drug convictions.
Tuesday’s action was a move in that direction, although it did not respond to police audits called for by many black leaders. Several White House officials hosted a virtual roundtable Tuesday afternoon with six former inmates to discuss some of the challenges of the current system and how re-entry programs help reduce crime.
“There are just too many people serving unjustifiably long sentences for non-violent drug crimes, disproportionately many of whom are black and brown,” White House councilor Dana Remus said at the start of the roundtable.
Along with pardon donations, the Biden administration has announced new steps to help ex-prisoners reintegrate, including $ 145 million in job training and re-entry programs.
Representative Jerry Nadler (DN.Y.) praised the White House’s efforts to give a fresh start to those who have served their time. “Successful re-entry programs are crucial to ending the crime cycle in our communities and ensuring the economic security of thousands of ex-prisoners,” the House of Representatives chairman said in a statement.
Podcast: Biden’s Evolution in Criminal Justice
Biden’s moves, among other things, are an attempt to return the pardon process to its traditional role after the departure of President Donald Trump. As Trump mitigated the sentences of various nonviolent drug offenders, he also used his authority in unprecedented ways to help allies, from former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpayo to political operative Roger Stone.
He pardoned several nonviolent drug offenders after lobbying Socialist Kim Kardashian. And in his last 12 hours in office, Trump has unleashed a chaotic wave of 144 pardons and sentencing changes, including for his former strategist Stephen K. Bannon.
The process of the Ministry of Justice, which is usually the basis for the president’s pardon, was largely abandoned during those years, and since 2016, the Ministry of Justice has been without a full-time pardon lawyer.
Just a few weeks ago, on April 10, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed someone to the post: Elizabeth G. Oyer, who had previously served as a senior legal counsel at the Maryland Federal Defender’s office. Previously, the service was run by Rosalind Sargent-Burns, who is now a deputy pardon lawyer.
There are no indications that Oyer’s appointment spurred Tuesday’s actions, which Garland has been considering since last summer, according to the New York Times. A Justice Department official said staff in any case followed the traditional, often lengthy, Justice Department process, in which pardon law firms review pardon applications and make recommendations, often after consulting with U.S. attorneys whose services deal with prosecution.
A White House spokesman said all pardons and replacements announced Tuesday went through a pardon lawyer.
The Biden administration’s new plans to help people return to society after imprisonment include a program that provides job training; increased support for housing, health and education needs; and subsidies for ex-convicts hoping to start a small business.
“As I set out in my overall strategy to reduce gun crime, helping those who have served their time to return to their families and become members of their communities is one of the most effective ways to reduce recidivism and reducing crime, “Biden said.
When Biden was a senator, he was the lead author of the 1994 crime bill, which became the signature of his political and legislative career, but was later criticized for leading to prison jumps, especially for young blacks. men, and for provisions requiring compulsory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in certain cases.
As a presidential candidate amid protests against racial justice in 2020, Biden adopted a different tone, stressing the need to reform the judiciary, a topic he reiterated on Tuesday. “While today’s announcement marks important progress, my administration will continue to consider pardon applications and implement reforms that promote justice and fairness, give a second chance and improve the well-being and security of all Americans,” Biden said.
Among those pardoned was Abraham Bolden Sr., who was the first black man in the presidential secret service to serve during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. In 1964, Bolden was accused of trying to sell a copy of a secret service file. His first trial ended with a hanged jury; he was sentenced to a second trial, although key witnesses later admitted to him that they lied at the prosecutor’s request. He spent several years in federal custody.
Bolden, 87, of Chicago, has consistently maintained his innocence and said he was targeted for exposing racism that prevailed in the 1960s in the Secret Service. He was praised for challenging racial injustice and other public contributions since his release from prison.
Biden also pardoned Betty Joe Bogans, 51, of Houston. Bogans was convicted in 1998 of possession with intent to spread crack after trying to transport drugs to her friend and accomplice, none of whom were detained or arrested.
Bogans was a single mother with no previous record when she received a seven-year sentence after her conviction. After her release, she spent nearly two decades working and raising her son and underwent cancer treatment.
Biden also pardoned 52-year-old Dexter Eugene Jackson, who did not sell marijuana but was convicted of allowing dealers to use his billiard room for drug deals. Jackson of Athens, Georgia, pleaded guilty and is serving his sentence. After his release, he turned his billiard room into a mobile phone repair business, partnering with a program to provide professional experience to local high school students.
Some who have closely followed pardons and replacements have said that Biden’s choice is somewhat confusing, in part because he only betrays a handful when there is a large backlog of cases similar to pardons.
“I find these grants welcome, but a little curious,” said Margaret Love, who worked as a pardon lawyer in the United States between 1990 and 1997 and has since successfully represented many people with federal convictions in the pardon process. The two drug cases that led to the pardons are “largely indistinguishable from a large number of pending cases – some for more than a decade,” Love said. “The criteria for their selection are simply not clear to me.”
Biden also commuted the sentences of 75 nonviolent drug offenders across the country, many of whom are under house arrest.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden is focused on people who are less than four years old. She said Tuesday’s action was only the first step, which would be followed by other pardons and replacements.
“This is a priority for the president,” Psaki said. “He thinks the second chance is important. … So it doesn’t stop there. This will continue and may be the case in the future. “
John Wagner and Matt Zapotoski contributed to this report.
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