For Immediate Release: January 17, 2025
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
COLOR OF CHANGE COMMENDS PRESIDENT BIDEN’S ACT OF CLEMENCY DAYS BEFORE HE EXITS OFFICE, COMMITS TO CONTINUED JUSTICE EFFORTS
NATIONAL – Just days before his exit from office, President Joe Biden again utilizes his clemency power to commute the sentences of another 2,500 incarcerated people, breaking his previously-set record.
This is yet another act of clemency taken by Biden in the final months of his presidency, one of which saw the record-breaking commutation of over 1,500 people’s sentences in December 2024. Just days later, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 people awaiting execution on death row.
Biden’s actions display his administration’s commitment to acknowledging the systemic racism present in the criminal justice system and using executive action to restore communities. Those affected by today’s decision were convicted of non-violent drug offenses but serving disproportionately long sentences based on historically accepted sentencing practices. Color Of Change applauds this action, but more must be done to heal the countless Black families and communities broken by our carceral system. Color Of Change will continue to advocate for reform in our legal system and more non-carceral investments into community safety.
Portia Allen-Kyle, Interim Executive Director of Color Of Change, issued the following statement:
“This historic move by the Biden-Harris Administration is a welcome encouragement for those committed to the transformation of the criminal legal system, which through overpolicing, police brutality, and exploitation have destroyed numerous Black families. However, we stand on the precipice of a new administration, one that threatens to overturn much of the progress made to right the wrongs of history. This important step towards progress serves as a reminder that there is much more to be done, even in the face of continued, and heightened, opposition.
The United States’ legal system has historically emphasized punishment over mercy, and has systemically overcriminalized Black bodies. Biden’s actions stand in contrast to this legacy, which President-elect Trump threatens to continue during his second term. Although the Trump Administration pushed forward the First Step Act, we are not even close to correcting past injustices.
Color Of Change encourages policymakers, organizations, and the general public to support inclusive, holistic, and health-centered approaches to public safety, community-based policies that reform the legal system, efforts to dismantle the carceral state, and a push for the restoration of communities through clemency. We must end our nation’s desire to criminalize and replace it with one that is focused on healthy, thriving communities.”
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ABOUT COLOR OF CHANGE:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by millions of members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.