President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of 37 people on federal death row has sparked both praise and strong opposition.
The inmates, convicted of crimes ranging from murders related to drug trafficking to killings of prison staff or fellow inmates, will now serve life sentences without parole. In his statement, Biden expressed his condemnation of the crimes, acknowledging the suffering of victims and their families. However, he reiterated his belief that the death penalty should be abolished at the federal level, a stance he’s maintained throughout his political career.
“Guided by my conscience and experience, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” Biden said. He emphasized that while he mourned the victims, he could not allow the resumption of executions that he had previously halted.
Under Biden’s administration, the Department of Justice has suspended federal executions while reviewing its policies. In contrast, former President Donald Trump had indicated plans to restart federal executions upon his return to office.
Among those affected by Biden's decision was Kelley Henry, an attorney for two of the commuted inmates, who expressed her immense gratitude upon learning the news. Henry, who had previously represented Lisa Montgomery—the first woman executed by the federal government in decades—spoke of the long process involved in obtaining clemency, acknowledging that the decision had been thoroughly vetted before reaching the president.
Civil rights groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, praised Biden’s decision as a historic step toward ending the death penalty. “This brings us closer to outlawing this barbaric practice,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero.
However, the decision was met with outrage from some victims’ families and law enforcement groups. The Fraternal Order of Police in Ohio condemned the commutation of Daryl Lawrence’s sentence, who was convicted of killing Officer Bryan Hurst in 2005. Hurst’s widow, Marissa Gibson, expressed disappointment, arguing that Lawrence had made a conscious decision to murder her husband.
While 37 inmates had their sentences commuted, three individuals remain on federal death row: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Boston Marathon bomber), Dylann Roof (Charleston church shooter), and Robert Bowers (Pittsburgh synagogue shooter). As Biden’s decision is celebrated by some, it has ignited ongoing debates about the future of the death penalty in the U.S.
