President Biden will issue the first pardons and changes of sentence of his presidency on Tuesday to people convicted of nonviolent crimes, senior administration officials told reporters in a call on Monday. The White House announced the acts of clemency as the administration introduces a new strategy and funding for the transition of people from imprisonment to employment.
The president is commuting the convictions of 75 nonviolent offenders, as well as pardoning three more people who were convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. President pardon Abraham Bolden of Illinois; Betty Jo Bogans of Texas; and Dexter Eugene Jackson of Georgia. Recipients whose sentences are being commuted have already served an average of 10 years in prison, according to a senior administration official. Nearly a third would have received shorter sentences if charged with the same crime today, officials said.
Bolden, 86, a former U.S. Secret Service agent, was the first black person to serve in a presidential detail. In 1964 he was charged with crimes related to attempting to sell a copy of a Secret Service file. Bolden was convicted in a second trial after his first trial resulted in a hanging jury, although key witnesses admitted they lied at the prosecutor’s request.
Bogans, 51, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in 1998 after attempting to transport drugs to her boyfriend and accomplice, although they were never arrested or arrested. She received a seven-year sentence and, since her release, has continued to work while undergoing cancer treatment. Jackson, 52, was convicted in 2002 of using his business to allow marijuana distribution in Georgia, although he was not personally involved in the trafficking. He pleaded guilty and, since his release, Jackson has run a cell phone repair business that hires local high school students.
“Today, I pardon three people who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation and strive every day to return and contribute to their communities,” the president said in a statement. “I am also commuting the sentences of 75 people serving long sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, many of whom have been serving home confinement during the COVID pandemic, and many of whom would have received a lower sentence if changed. with the same crime today, thanks to the Law of the first bipartisan step ”.
- She is one of 18,000 people awaiting a presidential pardon. She knows that an answer can take years.
As part of the administration’s strategy, the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor are announcing a $ 145 million investment to provide job skills training and individualized re-entry plans to the nearly 137,000 people jailed at the facility. Prisons Office. This is part of the implementation of the Department of Justice Act of the first step of the Trump era. The Small Business Administration is also changing its rules to make it easier for people with an unrelated criminal record to apply for certain business loans.
“We know that we are facing an increase in gun crime in the last two years here during the pandemic, so it is important,” a senior government official said in the call. “We know employment reduces recidivism, and we’re really leaning toward it.”
The White House will also offer a special Medicare enrollment period for those who missed enrollment periods while incarcerated. “This will help reduce coverage gaps and penalties for people returning home from prison,” a senior administration official said.
Nicole Sganga contributed to this report.
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