-(4)-1731951738-q80.webp){kind=small}
President Joe Biden, set to leave office on Monday, has exercised his clemency powers to pardon five individuals and commute the sentences of two others. The announcement, made Sunday, continues Biden’s focus on providing second chances to individuals who have demonstrated rehabilitation and made significant contributions to their communities.
“America is a country built on the promise of second chances,” Biden said in a statement. “As President, I have used my clemency power to make that promise a reality by issuing more individual pardons and commutations than any other President in U.S. history. Today, I am exercising my clemency power to pardon five individuals and commute the sentences of two individuals who have demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption.”
Among those pardoned is the late Marcus Garvey, a prominent civil rights leader and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association.
Garvey was convicted of mail fraud in 1923, a conviction his supporters have long argued was politically motivated. He also created the first Black-owned shipping line, earning a legacy as a pioneer of Black economic empowerment.
Don Scott, the Speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates, was also pardoned. Convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, Scott went on to become a Navy veteran and attorney.
Reflecting on his journey, Scott said, “My journey—from being arrested as a law student to standing here today as the first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates in Virginia’s 405-year history—is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of second chances.”
Daryl Chambers, another recipient of a pardon, served 17 years in prison for a non-violent drug offense in 1998. Chambers has since become a gun violence prevention advocate in Wilmington, Delaware, President Biden’s hometown.
Ravi Ragbir, an advocate for immigrant rights in New York and New Jersey, was also pardoned. Ragbir was convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 2001 and has worked extensively on issues impacting immigrant communities.
Kemba Smith Pradia, pardoned Sunday, was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 1994 for a non-violent drug offense. Her sentence was commuted by President Bill Clinton in 2000. Since then, Pradia has become a leading advocate for criminal justice reform and racial equity.
In addition to the pardons, Biden commuted the sentences of Robin Peoples and Michelle West. Peoples, who is serving a 111-year sentence for crimes committed in the late 1990s, will now see his sentence end on February 18. The White House noted that under current laws, Peoples would likely face a much shorter sentence.
Michelle West, sentenced to life in prison for offenses committed between 1987 and 1993, has garnered widespread support from civil rights activists, lawmakers, and fellow inmates. Her sentence will also conclude on February 18.
During his presidency, Biden has issued thousands of clemency actions, prioritizing non-violent offenders. In his final weeks in office, Biden commuted the sentences of numerous death row inmates to life imprisonment and granted a full pardon to his son, Hunter Biden.
