“The powerful appeal from the Congressional Black Caucus adds significant weight to the growing nationwide call for President Biden to take decisive action on clemency. Lawmakers, community leaders, and families across the country are all urging the President to prioritize meaningful action to address the devastating disparities in our justice system by commuting outdated, harsh sentences keeping thousands of people behind bars—separated from their families and communities—on decades-long sentences that would not be handed down today.

“President Biden has a tremendous opportunity to harness this support and use the unique power of executive clemency to advance racial justice, safely reduce the federal prison population, and cement his legacy of fairness by granting robust clemency for individuals who are deserving of a second chance.”

There are currently over 158,000 people in the federal prison system. Thousands of them—disproportionately people of color—are serving lengthy prison terms that would be significantly shorter today under current law and practice. Data shows time and time again that reducing prison terms can be done safely. And over 70% of likely voters believe it is important to reduce jail and prison populations.

Read the Full Letter to President Biden from the Congressional Black Caucus HERE.

About FWD.us’ Clemency work

• FWD.us Clemency Ad “One More Chance”
• Clemency Primer: With the Stroke of a Pen: A Primer on Presidential Clemency
• Clemency Poll Memo: New Polling Shows Strong National Support for Reducing Incarceration and Expanding Clemency
• Federal Prison Population Fact Sheet with the NAACP: The Federal Prison Population Is at an Inflection Point
• Clemency & Advancing Public Safety Brief: The Case for Clemency: Reducing Lengthy Federal Prison Sentences and Advancing Public Safety
• Clemency 1-Pager: Seizing the Moment: President Biden’s Opportunity to Take Bold Clemency Action