President Biden commutes sentences of prisoners on death row

By Christopher Wells

In an act of clemency prior to the end of his term in office, US President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden said in a statement announcing the decision. “But guided by my conscience and my experience ... I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
 

Biden’s decision to commute death sentences cannot be overturned by his successor, despite a pledge by Donald Trump to resume executions at the federal level after his inauguration as president in January. In his previous term of office, Trump restarted federal executions after a nearly twenty-year moratorium; a decision reversed by Biden when he took office.

Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of death row inmates does not include three prisoners convicted of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder; nor the more than 2,200 inmates sentenced to death at the state level, over whom the president has no authority.

Religious leaders welcome decision

Spiritual leaders in the United States, including American bishops, welcomed the president's decision.

"I applaud President Biden's decision to commute these death sentences," said Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C. "It is one important step toward a greater respect for human life — even the lives of those who may have brought such suffering and pain to the lives of others."

In his statement, Cardinal Gregory noted that Pope Francis, in line with his predecessors, has called the death penalty "contrary to humanity’s social and ethical dignity, and unnecessary for the protection of society," and he warned that "the death penalty is but one more link in the awful loss of public respect for human life itself."

The head of the US bishops' conference, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, also applauded Biden's decision. "I'm very, very pleased that President Biden heeded the request of Pope Francis and many, many others to make this gesture, which demonstrates respect for human life." He noted that although criminals still have "a responsibility to society" [...] their lives should not be taken from them."

Appeals by Pope Francis

Pope Francis has often appealed for the abolition of the use of the death penalty, most recently in his Message for the World Day of Peace 2025.

Earlier this month, during the Angelus on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Father urged prayers for death row prisoners in the United States, “Let us pray that their sentences may be commuted or changed,” he said. “Let us think of these brothers and sisters of ours and ask the Lord for the grace to save them from death.”

Later, Pope Francis followed up on his appeal during a phone call with Joe Biden on 19 December.

The Bishops of the United States had likewise appealed for Biden to commute the sentences of federal death row inmates, echoing calls from Catholic organizations such as the Catholic Mobilizing Network and other religious and humanitarian advocacy groups.

This article has been updated to include comments from Cardinal Gregory and Archbishop Broglio.