Expert: Biden’s reason for commuting sentences of death row inmates is unclear
President Biden’s recent move to commute the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates was praised by some and criticized by others who said they were unclear as to why the president made the decision in the first place.
The president announced on Monday that the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates would be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and the White House said in a statement that Biden believes “the use of the death penalty in the United States must stop.” Exceptions are cases of mass murder with motive.
“President Biden took office after his administration imposed a moratorium on federal executions, and his actions today will prevent the next administration from carrying out death sentences that would not be issued under current policies and practices,” the White House said.
The three death row inmates who are not eligible for Biden’s commutation are: Robert Bowers, the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooter who killed 11 people; Dylann Roof, a white supremacist activist, who murdered nine black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who carried out the 2013 massacre with his now-deceased brother The Boston Marathon bombing killed three people and injured hundreds.
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Robert Bowers, the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting that left 11 people dead; Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who killed 11 people in the 2015 shooting at Iraq’s Charleston, South Carolina Manuel AME Church killed nine black parishioners; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, along with his now-deceased brother, carried out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that killed three and hundreds more Injuried. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, from left, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, The Associated Press)
John R. Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center and former chief economist for the U.S. Sentencing Commission in Washington, told Fox News Digital that Biden decided to sentence 37 federal death row inmates rather than all death row inmates. The reason for the reduced sentence to 40 remains unclear.
“He commuted the sentences of some mass murderers, but there were also mass murderers who received lesser sentences than those he didn’t commute,” Lott said. “When I read his statement, it wasn’t clear to me what his reasoning was for dividing the cases that way. “
“If he believes the death penalty is wrong, it’s not clear where the line is.”
Lott added that the president’s decision to commute the sentences of 37 people “might just be an attempt to pander to his supporters,” but noted that the victims’ families have issued statements expressing how their loved ones suffered at the hands of those now sentenced to life in prison. Show mercy.
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U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024. (Brandon Bell)
“Many of the victims’ families … pointed out that some of these killers showed no remorse for their crimes,” Lott added. “They committed brutal rapes and tortures. They killed many people in very horrific ways.”
Criminal justice reform advocates praised the move.
Biden commutes sentences of 37 death row inmates in final month of presidency
Matthew Mangino, an attorney at Luxemburg, Garbett, Kelly & George and author of “The Executioner’s Price,” told Fox News Digital that he believes Biden’s commutation strengthens the argument in favor of the death penalty.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive at St. Joseph’s Church at Brandywine Catholic Church on Wednesday, December 18, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware. (played by Ben Curtis)
“President Biden has boldly used his clemency powers in a bizarre way to prevent the systematic execution of federal death row inmates, which strengthens the argument for the death penalty,” Mangino said. “He has left three men on death row who are certain Will face death.”
“While Biden has shown disdain for the death penalty in general, he does believe — as his actions demonstrate — that for some people the death penalty is warranted.”
Women of Faith United, the largest women’s denominational organization, called on Biden to commute the sentences of all 40 federal death row inmates, saying in a press release that it understood “how the criminal justice system unfairly and disproportionately targets people of color.” Den made his decision on Monday.
After the president commuted 37 sentences, Emily Jones, executive officer for racial justice at Women of Faith United, praised the move as “very exciting — a true Advent blessing!” in a statement to Fox News Digital.
President Joe Biden speaks to reporters after casting early votes for the 2024 election at a polling place in New Castle, Delaware, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Seneta)
However, Lott said the death penalty often prompts criminals to plead guilty to avoid death, allowing the government to avoid costly and emotionally taxing capital trials. Lott noted that Dylann Roof, one of three federal inmates Biden decided to remain on death row, initially expressed interest in pleading guilty in the federal case to avoid the death penalty.
“Economists have studied this extensively and found that, on average, for every execution carried out, there are about eight to 18 fewer murders,” Lott said. “This is clearly related to the fact that: [the death penalty] It is a deterrent to these people.
Convicted murderers now set to escape execution include: Marcivicci Barnette, who killed a man and his ex-girlfriend during a carjacking; co-defendant Brandon Basham Basham and Chadrick Fulks, who kidnapped and murdered a woman after escaping from prison; Anthony Battle, who killed a prison guard; and Jason Brown, who stabbed Killed a postal worker; Thomas Hager, committed drug-related homicide; David Runyon, involved in a murder-for-hire plot of a Navy officer; Thomas Sand Rejon Taylor, who kidnapped and murdered a 12-year-old girl; Rejon Taylor, who carjacked, kidnapped and murdered a restaurant owner; and Alejandro Umana, who was killed in a restaurant Two brothers.
Kamala Harris currently serves as Vice President of the United States in the Biden-Harris administration. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
The list also includes people convicted of murdering witnesses, a military member, bank security and robbery employees and other federal prisoners; as well as people convicted of drug-related murders and a man who directed the murders of 12 people, including one 6 family members of a federal informant.
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Biden faced criticism earlier this month when he commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 inmates incarcerated at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and pardoned 40 others. Including his son Hunter.
As of Dec. 13, Biden had pardoned 65 people and commuted the sentences of 1,634 prisoners during his presidency, according to the Justice Department.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
