Biden Admin Considering Clemency for Drug Offenders on Home Confinement

The Federal Docket

September 8, 2021

As previously discussed on The Federal Docket, the Biden administration has determined that, absent executive or legislative intervention, thousands of federal inmates on home confinement will have to return to prison when the pandemic ends. Last week, the New York Times reported that the Biden administration is considering at least one measure to keep some inmates out of prison and on home confinement for the duration of their sentences.

President Biden is reportedly considering using his clemency powers to commute the sentences of certain inmates on home confinement who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses. Among other criteria, the inmates must have less than four years remaining on their sentences. Other inmates would be excluded and, as things stand, expected to return to prison when the pandemic ends.

Tom Church - Tom is a trial and appellate lawyer focusing on criminal defense and civil trials. Tom is the author of "The Federal Docket" and is a contributor to Mercer Law Review's Annual Survey in the areas of federal sentencing guidelines and criminal law. Tom graduated with honors from the University of Georgia Law School where he served as a research assistant to the faculty in the areas of constitutional law and civil rights litigation. Read Tom's reviews on AVVO. Follow Tom on Linkedin.

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