President Biden granted clemency to 16 individuals on Wednesday, who had been convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. He stated that these pardons and commutations show his dedication to addressing racial inequalities.
The president pardoned 11 people and commuted the sentences of five others. He mentioned that many of them had received longer sentences than they would under current practice, which is unfair.
He added that the pardon recipients had shown a commitment to improving their lives and positively impacting their communities, and the commutation recipients had proven that they deserve forgiveness and the opportunity to build a better future beyond prison walls.
Biden is pardoning Jason Hernandez, a 47-year-old from McKinney, Texas, who was convicted of multiple nonviolent drug offenses. Former President Obama commuted his sentence in 2013, and he now runs a nonprofit that transformed the store where he used to sell drugs into a market selling affordable quality food.
He is also pardoning Beverly Holcy, a 59-year-old from Palatka, Fla., who pleaded guilty to a nonviolent drug offense at 27 and now volunteers at a church and is fully employed.
Additionally, 58-year-old Jeffrey Alan Lewis from Douglasville, Ga., who pleaded guilty to a nonviolent drug offense at 40 and is now consistently employed, and 50-year-old Bobby Darrell Lowery of Jackson, Miss., who was convicted of a nonviolent drug offense at 25 and now has steady employment, will also be pardoned.
Katrina Polk, a 54-year-old woman from Washington, D.C., who pleaded guilty to a nonviolent drug offense at 18 and has earned her Ph.D. in public policy and administration since her release, and Ricky Donnell Tyler, a 54-year-old man from Columbia, S.C., who was convicted of nonviolent drug offenses at 26 and has worked as a truck driver since his release, will also be pardoned.
“These pardons and commutations, like my other clemency actions, demonstrate my commitment to addressing racial disparities and improving public safety,” said Biden in the statement.
He also mentioned that April is Second Chance Month and marked it by reaffirming his dedication to rehabilitation and reentry programs and building a criminal justice system that ensures equal justice for everyone.
The five individuals with sentences being commuted include: Daequon Charles Davis of Johnson City, Tenn., who faced 262 months for conspiracy to distribute or to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine; and Jophaney Hyppolite of Miami, who faced life imprisonment for distribution and conspiracy to manufacture and to possess with intent to distribute more than 280 grams cocaine base.
Also, Xavier Martez Parnell of Clarksville, Tenn., who faced 300 months of imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and Margaret Ann Vandyke of Ellenville, N.Y., who faced 60 months of imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Furthermore, Leshay Nicole Rhoton from Bristol, Tennessee, who was facing 240 months in prison for a conspiracy to have and distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, had their sentences commuted.
Biden made the decision in December 2023. reduced the sentences of 11 people in jail for nonviolent drug crimes and issued a proclamation to forgive specific marijuana offenses. In October 2022, he announced that he pardoned thousands of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana according to federal law.
