67 Lawmakers Urge Biden To Grant Clemency To People Still In Jail For Cannabis Offenses
On Wednesday, justice reform advocates, formerly incarcerated people and their families as well as the Last Prisoner Project joined Reps. Ayanna Pressley, James E. Clyburn, Mary Gay Scanlon, Ilhan Omar and other congressional leaders to announce their joint letter urging President Biden to grant clemency to non-violent federal cannabis prisoners before his term ends.
“Now is the time to use your clemency authority to rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges,” reads the letter. “We urge you to use your executive clemency power to reunite families, address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.”
Reps. Pressley, Clyburn, and Gay Scanlon led the letter signed by a total of 67 Democratic members of Congress.
“You have the support of millions of people across the country who have felt the harms of mass incarceration: young children longing to hug their grandparents, people who have taken responsibility for their mistakes, and those who simply were never given a fair chance. These are the people seeking help that only you can provide through the use of your presidential clemency power,” the letter concludes.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar commented, “While cannabis is now legal in Minnesota and many states across America, thousands remain behind bars in federal prisons for the same substance – a reminder of the work still ahead. President Biden still has time to build on his initial pardons and take decisive …