US President Joe Biden made use of his clemency powers for the first time on Tuesday, announcing that he was commuting the sentences of 75 people and granting amnesty to three others. “America is a nation of laws and second chances, redemption, and rehabilitation,” Joe Biden said in a statement.
People who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation
These pardons are intended “for people who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation and who strive every day to give back and contribute” to society, he said.
One of the people granted amnesty, Abraham Bolden, 86, is a former member of the “Secret Service”, the American agency for the protection of state personalities, and who was the first African-American to protect a president, during of the mandate of John F. Kennedy (1961-1963).
He had been accused of trying to sell a copy of a Secret Service file, and had been convicted after two trials. The White House, however, says key witnesses later admitted to lying.
Long sentences for non-violent acts
Abraham Bolden has always maintained his innocence and says he was targeted “in retaliation for exposing unprofessional and racist behavior within the US Secret Service,” the White House said in the statement.
After his release from prison, Mr. Bolden received several awards for his activism and for his contributions to society, the White House adds. The other two amnesties concern a man and a woman convicted of drug-related offences.
The 75 commutations went, according to Joe Biden, to people “serving long sentences for non-violent drug-related offenses – many of whom would have received lower sentences if charged with the same offenses today. “.