| Friend, Last week, President Joe Biden commuted sentences for 1,500 people and pardoned 39 more -- the largest single act of clemency in the history of the United States.(1) It was a huge step forward for justice and against mass incarceration, in a society in which one in two adults have a family member in prison.(2) But there’s so much more for Biden to do when it comes to using his pardon power for justice, and as the clock counts down on his presidency, we’re demanding he do just that.
Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly 2 million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country. People of color are disproportionately put behind bars, along with individuals from low-income communities, LGBTQ people, and those with disabilities. Just as Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and over 60 other members of Congress told Biden in a recent letter: “The bloated prison system reflects and emboldens biases that undermine the ideals of our nation and diminishes trust in the rule of law. Mass incarceration attacks the most vulnerable Americans, thereby destabilizing families and inflicting intergenerational trauma.”(3) Biden’s Dec. 12 decision to commute hundreds of sentences and pardon dozens more was a huge step toward correcting this injustice. But in the final days of his presidency, Biden has the opportunity to deliver meaningful justice for so many more who’ve fallen victim to racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry in our out-of-control carceral state. Thank you for being with us. –Irene, along with Annie, Angela, Isidra, Cecilia, Jen, and Lindsay (the Courage team)
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