Biden Issues First Pardons, Commutations of his Presidency

President Joe Biden has granted the first three pardons of his term and also commuted the sentences of 75 others for nonviolent, drug-related convictions, reports the Associated Press. Biden approved clemency for Abraham Bolden Sr., convicted of federal bribery charges that he tried to sell a copy of an agency file; Betty Jo Bogans, convicted in 1998 of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in Texas after attempting to transport drugs for her boyfriend and his accomplice; and Dexter Jackson, convicted in 2002 for using his pool hall to facilitate the trafficking of marijuana.

In addition to the grants of clemency, Biden announced several new initiatives to help formerly incarcerated people gain employment, including directing $140 million toward programs that offer job training, pre-apprenticeship programs, digital literacy training and pre-release and post-release career counseling and more for youth and incarcerated adults. The Labor and Justice Departments have also announced a collaborative plan to provide $145 million over the next year on job skills training as well as individualized employment and reentry plans for people serving time in the Bureau of Prisons.