Advocacy groups request President Biden to grant clemency to inmates sent home during COVID

Joe Biden
Posted at 4:30 PM, Jul 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-19 17:30:22-04

Several criminal justice advocacy groups request President Joe Biden to grant federal prisoners, who were sent home to serve their sentences because of the coronavirus pandemic, clemency.

In a letter to Biden, 20 advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and NAACP, asked Biden to commute the sentences of the inmates because they are in danger of possibly being sent back to prison.

"On the campaign trail and during your presidency, you have spoken about the importance of second chances," the letter stated. "This is your opportunity to provide second chances to thousands of people who are already safely out of prison, reintegrating back into society, reconnecting with their loved ones, getting jobs, and going back to school. We urge you to provide clemency now to people under CARES Act home confinement."

In a statement to USA Today, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said that "President Biden is committed to reducing incarceration and helping people reenter society" and that Biden's administration "is focused on reforming our justice system in order to strengthen families, boost our economy, and give people a chance at a better future."