Clyburn, Pressley, Scanlon and colleagues call on Biden to use clemency to crack down on mass incarceration before he leaves office | News

In their letter to President Biden, the lawmakers praised the president’s efforts to create a fair and equitable criminal justice system by pardoning people convicted of simple marijuana possession and former LGBTQ+ soldiers, and called on the president to use his clemency powers , to help broad sections of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, people on death row, people with unjustified disparate sentences and women who have been punished for going against their defended perpetrators. Lawmakers also explained the fiscal consequences of the growing mass incarceration crisis.

“You have the support of millions of people across the country who have felt the harm of mass incarceration: young children who long to hug their grandparents, people who have accepted responsibility for their mistakes, and those who simply never have was given a fair chance.” wrote the lawmakers. “These are the people who are looking for help that only you can provide through the use of your presidential clemency power.”

Joining Reps. Clyburn, Pressley and Scanlon in sending the letter are Reps. Joyce Beatty, Sanford Bishop, Shontel Brown, Cori Bush, Andre Carson, Troy Carter, Yvette Clarke, Jasmine Crockett, Valerie Foushee, Al Green, Jahana Hayes, Steven Horsford. Jonathan Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Summer Lee, Jennifer McClellan, Gregory Meeks, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Robert Scott, Terri Sewell, Marilyn Strickland, Bennie Thompson, Rashida Tlaib and Bonnie Watson Coleman .

The lawmakers’ letter is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union; Center for People’s Democracy; Last Prisoner Project; Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights; Capital punishment; The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls; The Color Coalition Faith Leaders; MCAN’s Second Chance Judge; JustLeadershipUSA; FAMM; The Episcopal Church; The Bambi Fund; Free Billie Allen Campaign; People’s Coalition for Security and Freedom; Prophetic Resistance Boston; and families against mandatory minimums.