at the beginning of last month Nearly 1,500 Americans found themselves as recipients. Very good news: President Joe Biden has granted them executive clemency. Thirty-nine received full pardons. “America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” a White House statement said. “As president I have been honored to show mercy to people who have shown remorse and recovery.” Biden’s office has taken pains to make clear that while the president has shown mercy, But he didn’t act either. a lot Mercifully, those who received clemency in the form of substitution were only under home confinement. And those who were pardoned were all convicted of nonviolent crimes. Nearly two weeks ago, Biden had too. pardoned His son, Hunter, was convicted of gun-related crimes. and is facing tax collection Hunter was at the full mercy of the president.
Blowback came quickly in both cases. Biden was condemned for pardoning his son. Because he abandoned his previous covenant not to interfere in Hunter’s case. And because of this Democrats worry Such a move would make Donald Trump has been given ammunition for Democrats’ corruption claims and justification for his own. planned pardon– The president and his team also expected a lot.
What they may not have expected was the angry public reaction to the mass commutation and pardon. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota cited clemency she disagreed with. Call for pardon reform It is proposed that this work requires the hiring of a review committee tasked with making recommendations. She wasn’t the only one disappointed with her choice. Biden—Online Dissatisfaction Surrounds Commuting sentence of former judge Michael Conahanwho received kickbacks from a juvenile detention center for sentencing minors to prison Conahan was sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison and then released to home confinement during the pandemic. And now it’s free. “I’m shocked and hurt,” said Sandy Fonzo, mother of the boy who committed suicide after Conahan took him to the center. said in a statement “Conahan’s actions destroyed families. Including mine. And my son’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power. This pardon feels like an injustice to all of us who are still suffering.”
She was right, in a way. Mercy often conflicts with justice. Justice means that each person receives compensation. Mercy means withholding deserved punishment—we certainly cannot be merciful to those who have done no wrong. Because that is just compensation for them. Kindness can be right or wrong. But in theory and in practice Mercy is not particularly interested in justice. It registers as unbalanced and irrational. Justice, on the other hand, is partially defined by fairness. Biden’s latest efforts in this domain are therefore unfair.
But it is also the case that sometimes a more expansive understanding of justice requires mercy. That is why Biden should heed calls for renewed clemency. This time, the death sentences for all 40 federal death row inmates were changed to life sentences instead. In my opinion it will do the job. correct Inequality in the death penalty system Justice here requires something beyond simple fairness. It also asks for mercy to complete the task. While these sentences are appropriate in some sense, as many have argued, mercy provides justice that is more profound than simple deserts.
Last week, the ACLU released a collection of dozens of letters from individuals, groups and organizations asking for Biden to step in. Many of the letters point out that the death penalty is being used unfairly. Especially in matters of race and skin color. Capital punishment in America is a racist institution. It is undoubtedly true.– The only question is what to do with it. Advocates for capital punishment generally talk about reforming the death penalty sentencing process to create more equitable outcomes. But they never seem to propose legislation aimed at doing just that. Even if they do. People already sentenced to death are still being executed. A leniency is provided for situations like this. Where existing law provides no other remedy for unfairness in the justice system, in that sense, mercy can function in the service of justice. Instead of resisting justice
It is also the case that justice is more than fair. Even by Joe’s light Biden himself Letter sent by the Catholic Mobilization Network Biden is asked to heed Pope Francis’ call for “forgiveness, reconciliation and an end to all forms of the death penalty” and “do so in a spirit of mercy and upholding justice.” The dignity of all life Regardless of whether that person causes or is harmed.” This type of justice places the highest value on human life, with fairness being a secondary but influential good. It considers what is attributable to individuals as opposed to the narrower concept of justice.
American society tends to support swift and severe punishment. It recoils from mercy. Our problem is not and has never been with too much kindness. But quite a bit too little Clemency is an opportunity to reverse this strong and vengeful tendency.
This does not indicate a positive response from the public if Biden takes this step. In fact, these permutations almost guarantee the opposite. Because federal death sentences include Dylann Roof, the gunman responsible for killing nine black worshipers attending a Bible study in the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME shooting in Charleston, South Carolina; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the Boston Marathon attackers whose pressure cooker bomb killed three and injured 281 others; and Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people during morning services at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 in Pittsburgh. The rest of the list is made up of people who were convicted of less shameful crimes (such as the murder of guards), but were still guilty of something worse – worse than anything. Where Biden has pardoned so far, clemency in these 40 cases would ensure Biden’s legacy as a true humanitarian. But it can also curse him with just as much shame. as the bleeding heart who gave the Republican Party a farewell gift on his way out the door. Kindness is something that is not done for oneself. but for others And if Biden’s generosity has never been admired in history? It will last forever.
