The Bureau of Prisoners (BOP) recently reached out to around 1,000 home confinement inmates. Specifically, inmates received notices to report to their designated halfway houses to begin clemency applications. This is the first reported step to offer clemency to nonviolent drug offenders currently in federal prison.
Notably, White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, announced the clemency application process on September 10 at a White House press conference. “The president has been clear about his openness to using clemency powers,” Psaki said before referring to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for further questions.
Around 8,300 prisoners returned home in April 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown under the CARES Act. Since then, around half of those prisoners have finished up their sentences and returned to society. However, around 2,000 inmates could still return to federal prison once the pandemic is under control. According to the BOP, only half of the remaining prisoners qualify for potential clemency. The rest appear to be returning to prison at the end of the pandemic.
Responses
While moving forward by using his power of clemency, many activists and even some senators, are disappointed in how Biden is handling the home confinement prisoner situation.
Specifically, the ACLU Deputy National Political Director, Udi Ofer, spoke with news outlets in response to Biden. “Through the anecdotal information we’re seeing, we are worried that the White House is viewing this issue too narrowly and unnecessarily restricting the category of people being asked to apply for clemency.”
It seems activists believe that Biden is not fully using his power of clemency to pardon more inmates and help integrate them back into society. Psaki explained how the Biden administration is moving forward with clemency.
The administration is “working hard every day to reform our justice system in order to strengthen families, boost our economy, give people a chance at a better future,” Psaki explained. “As part of this, the president is deeply committed to reducing incarceration, helping people successfully reenter society. And he has said too many people are incarcerated—too many are black and brown.”
Next Steps
At the present time, the DOJ hasn’t made any public statement on which inmates qualify for clemency applications. Nonetheless, countless home confinement inmates are applying for clemency. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.
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