By Ariana Figueroa
President Joe Biden Thursday commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were placed in home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic, and granted pardons for 39 individuals with convictions for nonviolent crimes.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a statement. He noted many of the 1,500 were serving long sentences that would be shorter under current laws, policies and practices.
As the Biden administration winds down, it’s the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern day history.
The president added that his administration will continue to review clemency petitions before his term ends on Jan. 20. There are more than 9,400 petitions for clemency that were submitted to the White House, according to recent Department of Justice clemency statistics.
“As President, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses,” Biden said.
Those 39 people who received pardons included 67-year-old Michael Gary Pelletier of Augusta, Maine, who pleaded guilty to a nonviolent offense, according to the White House, which provided brief biographies of the pardoned individuals.
After his conviction, Pelletier worked for 20 years at a water treatment facility and volunteered for the HAZMAT team, assisting in hazardous spills and natural disasters. He now grows vegetables for a local soup kitchen and volunteers to support wounded veterans.
Another pardon was granted to Nina Simona Allen of Harvest, Alabama.
Allen, 49, was convicted of a nonviolent offense in her 20s, the White House said. After her conviction, she earned a post-baccalaureate degree and two master’s degrees and now works in the field of education. Additionally, she volunteers at a local soup kitchen and nursing home.
Hunter Biden pardon
The clemency action came after the president gave a full pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, on gun and tax charges and any other offenses, from 2014 until December. The president previously stated he would not pardon his son, but changed his mind because he said his son was constantly targeted by Republicans.
Other clemency actions Biden has taken include commuting sentences of those serving sentences for simple possession and use of marijuana under federal and District of Columbia law and a pardon of former U.S. service members who were convicted under military law of having consensual sex with same-sex partners — a law that is now repealed.
Additionally, advocates and Democrats have pressed Biden to exert his clemency powers on behalf of the 40 men on federal death row before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. Democrats have pushed for this because Trump expedited 13 executions of people on federal death row in the last six months of his first term.
The co-executive directors of Popular Democracy in Action, a progressive advocacy group, Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper, said in a joint statement that Biden should “not stop now.”
“Thousands more of our people who have been wronged by an unjust system are still waiting for freedom and compassion,” they said.
The Indiana context
Among Thursday’s pardons was Indianapolis woman Emily Good Nelson, The White House said she is a 39-year-old who was convicted of non-violent drug offenses when she was 19 years old. Since her release, she completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and now works in the healthcare field. She has spoken publicly about drug use and has volunteered as a counselor at an in-patient psychiatric facility. She is described as kind, committed to recovery and helping others, and as someone with tremendous talent and ability.
Congressman Andrè Carson released this statement: “Our criminal justice system should provide accountability, punishment, and restitution when the law is broken, and no one should ever be above the law. But justice must also allow for rehabilitation and restoration back into our communities when debts have been paid to society. Hoosiers believe in fairness and second chances. President Biden’s 39 pardons today – including one from Indianapolis – and commutations for 1,499 individuals will help bring more fairness and balance to our judicial system. These actions will reunite separated families and open doors to reintegrate into their communities. I commend President Biden for recognizing the rehabilitation of these individuals and for providing second chances. I hope to see more pardons to come. I also hope today’s pardons send a message of hope to all those struggling with addiction, especially during the challenging time of the holidays. Recovery is possible.”
Those with nonviolent offenses who were pardoned by the president, according to the White House:
Alabama
Nina Simona Allen
California
Gregory S. Ekman
Colorado
Johnnie Earl Williams
Connecticut
Sherranda Janell Harris
Delaware
Patrice Chante Sellers
District of Columbia
Norman O’Neal Brown
Florida
Jose Antonio Rodriguez
Illinois
Diana Bazan Villanueva
Indiana
Emily Good Nelson
Kentucky
Edwin Allen Jones
Louisiana
Trynitha Fulton
Maine
Michael Gary Pelletier
Maryland
Arthur Lawrence Byrd
Minnesota
Kelsie Lynn Becklin
Sarah Jean Carlson
Lashawn Marrvinia Walker
Nevada
Lora Nicole Wood
New Mexico
Paul John Garcia
New York
Kimberly Jo Warner
Ohio
Duran Arthur Brown
Kim Douglas Haman
Jamal Lee King
James Russell Stidd
Oklahoma
Shannan Rae Faulkner
Oregon
Gary Michael Robinson
South Carolina
Denita Nicole Parker
Shawnte Dorothea Williams
Tennessee
James Edgar Yarbrough
Texas
Nathaniel David Reed III
Mireya Aimee Walmsley
Lashundra Tenneal Wilson
Utah
Stevoni Wells Doyle
Virginia
Brandon Sergio Castroflay
Washington
Rosetta Jean Davis
Terence Anthony Jackson
Russell Thomas Portner
Wisconsin
Jerry Donald Manning
Audrey Diane Simone
Wyoming
Honi Lori Moore
