SMT-5 | The pre-Christmas sentence commutations will free people who were sentenced to decades in prison – in some cases, mandatory life sentences – that they would not have received if they were convicted today, a White House official said. Others convicted of crack cocaine violations got much higher sentences than if their crimes involved powder cocaine – a sentencing disparity that disproportionately affects Black defendants, the administration noted.
Biden also signed a proclamation Friday to pardon some marijuana offenses, including use, simple possession and attempted simple possession for those convicted under federal law. That follows earlier moves by the president – who earlier in his political career was resistant to drug sentencing reforms – to lessen penalties for a drug.