(TheIndependentStar.com) – Using his lame-duck period to make drastic decisions at the very last minute, Joe Biden has spared the lives of 37 death row inmates by commuting their sentences.
This decision, which aligns with his long-standing opposition to capital punishment, has effectively emptied federal death row.
Biden’s radical decision means that these 37 individuals, who were originally sentenced to death for their crimes, will now serve life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
This sudden shift in policy has raised concerns about the message it sends to victims’ families.
Only three men remain on federal death row for committing notorious mass killings.
These include the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, the Charleston church massacre mastermind Dylann Roof, and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Biden’s actions stand in contrast to those of President-elect Donald Trump, who oversaw the execution of 13 prisoners during his first term.
Biden justified his decision by saying, “I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
This decision comes even though around half of U.S. states still allow the death penalty, with over 2,200 people on death row nationwide.
Even more concerning is Biden’s rush to clear death row before a potential change in administration.
He stated, “In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
This admission suggests that Biden is more concerned with his own lackluster legacy than upholding the principles of justice and the rule of law.
Adding insult to injury, Biden recently commuted sentences for nearly 1,500 nonviolent offenders and pardoned 39 people, including his son Hunter Biden.
As Biden focuses on emptying death row, he seems to have forgotten about the several crises that happened on his watch, like the one at the southern border.
As America faces increasing challenges both domestically and abroad, Biden’s decision to commute these death sentences sends a dangerous message.
It undermines the deterrent effect of capital punishment and potentially puts Americans at risk.
Copyright 2024, TheIndependentStar.com
