initiative
On Saturday, President Joe Biden expanded his clemency initiative by pardoning an additional list of individuals who have been convicted of marijuana offenses in the District of Columbia.
This latest round of pardons comes on the heels of the administration’s 2022 Clemency Initiative, which was first announced in December and was designed to forgive federal non-violent drug crime convictions. The initiative will focus on low-level offenders, with a particular attention to those imprisoned disproportionately because of racist drug policies.
The initiative reflects the Biden administration’s broader commitment to racial justice and criminal justice reform. The Justice Department has long sought to address the issue of racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and the White House, in December, outlined an expansive set of criminal justice reform measures, including calling for the end of life-without-parole sentences for all federal drug crimes.
According to the Justice Department, the District of Columbia has one of the highest per capita marijuana arrest rates in the nation, with the majority of such arrests affecting people of color. These pardons come at a time when policymakers have taken an increased focus on marijuana-related offenses in the wake of the decriminalization and legalization of the drug in many states.
The Biden administration has committed to continuing to address drug offenses through its clemency initiative, which is expected to include more individuals pardoned for marijuana-related offenses in the months ahead. Saturday’s round of pardons is the latest measure by the Biden administration to reform the criminal justice system.
