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President Biden gave his first three pardons while in office and commuted the sentences of 75 people serving prison for nonviolent drug crimes as part of the Biden administration’s “broad commitment” to reforming the judiciary and addressing racial differences.
The White House said Tuesday that pardons and swaps embody “the president’s belief that America is a second-chance nation”, saying people have struggled to rehabilitate, including through educational and vocational training or drug treatment in prison. “.
“Today I pardon three people who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation and are striving every day to return and contribute to their communities,” the president said, adding that he was mitigating the sentences of 75 people serving “long sentences”. for nonviolent drug-related crimes, many of which were under house arrest during the COVID pandemic [sic]- and many of whom would have received a lower sentence if they had been charged with the same crime today, thanks to the bipartisan First Step Act.
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The First Step Act is a bill passed with the support of both parties under the Trump administration that reduces mandatory minimum sentences for previous drug crimes by moving to offering drug offenders with three sentences to 25 years in prison instead of life; and allows some people serving sentences for crack cocaine crimes the opportunity to petition a judge to reduce the sentence.
Those expected to receive a full pardon are Abraham Bolden, an 86-year-old former US secret service agent who was the first African-American to serve as president. Bolden, in 1964, was charged with crimes involving attempting to sell a copy of his Secret Service file. Bolden pleaded not guilty, claiming it was aimed at revenge for exposing unprofessional and racist behavior at the agency.
Badge of the Ministry of Justice, Washington, USA. iStock
Bolden has received numerous honors and awards for his continued work to speak out against the racism he encountered in the Secret Service in the 1960s and for his courage in challenging injustice.
Betty Joe Bogans, 51, must also receive a full pardon from the president after she was convicted in 1998 of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in South Texas after trying to transport drugs to her boyfriend and accomplice. – none of whom have been detained or arrested. Officials said Bogans was a single mother with no previous record when she was convicted. Bogan received a seven-year sentence.
Officials say Bogans has worked consistently since her release, even while undergoing cancer treatment, focusing on raising her son.
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Dexter Eugene Jackson, 52, is also expected to receive a full pardon. He was convicted in 2002 for his business of facilitating the distribution of marijuana in Georgia’s Northern District. Jackson was not personally involved in marijuana trafficking, officials said, but allowed marijuana distributors to use his billiard room to facilitate drug deals.
At that time, Jackson took full responsibility for his actions and pleaded guilty. After his release, Jackson turned his business into a cell phone repair service and now hires local high school students through a program that seeks to provide young adults with work experience. Jackson, according to officials, is also working to build and renovate homes in a community that “lacks quality, affordable housing.”
President Joe Biden speaks at the quarterly meeting of the CEO of Business Roundtable (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky)
In addition to pardons and replacements, the president said his administration on Tuesday was taking steps to expand employment opportunities and help ex-detainees return successfully to society – which the senior administration says are “two key pillars”. the President’s overall strategy for preventing and combating gun violence and other violent crimes.
“The progress of successful re-entry results makes our communities safer, breaks the cycle of economic hardship and strengthens our economy,” the official said.
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The White House on Tuesday announced a $ 145 million partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor to invest in job training and re-entry programs in federal prisons to pave the way for “a smooth transition to employment and support for re-employment.” entry after release ‘.
US President Joe Biden makes a speech during the Black History Month event in the East Room of the White House on February 28, 2022 in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
The initiative comes as part of the implementation of the First Step Act by the Ministry of Justice. The law also instructs the Ministry of Justice to set up a system for assessing the risk of re-offending, as well as to create housing or other incentives for offenders to participate in recidivism reduction programs.
Biden officials expect the pilot program – the first of its kind – to serve thousands of prisoners in many states.
“The president’s announcement of these changes… is an exercise of the president’s power, reflecting his broad commitment to reforming our judiciary and tackling racial differences,” said an administration official. “He understands that too many people are serving very long sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, so he uses his power of pardon as a way to deal with it.”
The official also said the new program was a “crime reduction strategy”.
“We know that employment reduces recidivism and we are really leaning towards that,” the official said, saying Tuesday’s reports were part of the Biden administration’s “comprehensive, inclusive strategy”.
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“You have to do many things at once,” the official said. “You have to make sure that people get support while they are in prison and start getting the work and training skills they need.
The administration is also set to expand access to business capital through the Small Business Administration – which recently announced the lifting of criminal restrictions on access to its community-based loans – a critical program that provides loans to low-income and low-income borrowers. underserved communities.
On Tuesday, the administration will also “remove barriers” to federal employment for ex-detainees, and agencies such as the Ministry of Transport will expand access to jobs.
Meanwhile, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and the Prisons Bureau are also ready to jointly launch a new effort to speed up the recovery of veterans’ benefits. The VA has also announced new efforts to increase the number of state prisons and prisons that use its veteran search service, which helps identify veterans in their custody and link them to re-entry services.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services is proposing a new special enrollment period of six months after the Medicare release for people who missed a health insurance enrollment period while in prison. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is also announcing a review of its existing regulations and guidelines to identify how HUD programs can increase the inclusion of people with arrest and conviction records.
As for educational opportunities, the Ministry of Education will announce policy changes to help inmates get out of debt and gain access to Pell Grants.
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“In the short term, prisoners who have not paid their debts will get a ‘fresh start’. Like other unpaid borrowers, overdue borrowers will repay their repayment in good condition when the student loan break ends, “an official said, adding that the education ministry is also announcing a” longer-term solution “that will allow detainees to consolidate their loans to get out of default.
“This change will now allow prisoners to have the same opportunity to get out of jail as non-prisoners,” the official said.
The president, meanwhile, stressed that “helping those who have served their time to return to their families and become members of their communities is one of the most effective ways to reduce recidivism and reduce crime.”
Biden added that while Tuesday’s announcement marked “important progress”, his administration would continue to “review applications for pardon” and implement reforms he said would advance justice and fairness, provide a second chance and increase the well-being and security of all Americans. ”
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