Dear friend,

Yesterday, April 26, President Biden used his clemency power for the first time, granting three pardons and commuting 75 prison sentences. He also announced a number of initiatives to improve prison programming and re-entry.

We are glad President Biden was willing to use his authority to reunite dozens of families earlier. The 75 commutations he granted yesterday were more than the last seven presidents had given in the first 15 months of their presidencies combined. Too many people are serving excessive sentences. Clemency is one powerful mechanism to address them.

Yet we know we need much bolder action if we are going to undo the harm caused by extreme mandatory sentences. The White House press secretary yesterday said those clemency grants were the beginning, not the end. We intend to hold the administration to that. We also need Congress to pass smart sentencing reforms, like the EQUAL Act and First Step Implementation Act.

We are happy for the people who received relief yesterday. We need more of that.

Sincerely,

Kevin Ring
President, FAMM

P.S. You can keep the momentum going by contacting your lawmakers today in support of the First Step Implementation Act: https://secure.everyaction.com/P74Gsb53oEmeiaxPVfl7wg2