On Monday, President Joe Biden declared that he will commute the sentences of almost all inmates currently on federal death row. This action is intended to halt any executions that might occur when Donald Trump, the President-elect, resumes office.

During his campaign, Biden committed to abolishing the death penalty, contrasting with Trump, who has suggested broadening its application.

Although the 37 inmates whose sentences have been commuted will not face execution, they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

What exactly does it mean to commute a sentence? Here are the essential points regarding Biden’s announcement.

What is Sentence Commutation?

A commutation of a sentence lessens its severity.

According to Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, the president has the authority to grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses, except in cases of impeachment.

Both pardons and sentence commutations allow the president to show leniency towards individuals convicted of federal crimes. A pardon indicates that the person has recognized their wrongdoing and has been forgiven by the president. It may restore certain rights that might have been lost due to the criminal conviction, as outlined by the Department of Justice.

Commuting a sentence does not alter the conviction, suggest innocence, nor erase any civil disabilities that remain applicable to the convicted individual.

Restrictions on Biden’s Commutations

The president’s authority to grant pardons or commute sentences is limited to federal crimes. As a result, individuals sentenced to death by state courts are unaffected by Biden’s recent commutations.

Currently, 27 states enforce the death penalty, while 23 have abolished it; five additional states may conduct executions through gubernatorial action, as reported by the Death Penalty Information Center.

As of January 2024, there were nearly 2,200 individuals facing the death penalty in state jurisdictions, with the overall number of death row inmates decreasing over the last two decades, according to the center’s data.

List of Commuted Federal Death Row Inmates

Below are the 37 federal death row inmates who have had their sentences commuted, along with information about their convictions and respective states, sourced from the Death Penalty Information Center.

• • Shannon Wayne Agofsky (Texas): Convicted in 2004 for the murder of a fellow inmate.
  • Billie Jerome Allen (Missouri): Sentenced in 1998 for involvement in an armed bank robbery resulting in a guard’s death. He co-defended Norris Holder.
  • Aquilia Marcivicci Barnette (North Carolina): Sentenced in 1998 for murdering his ex-girlfriend and another man during a carjacking.
  • Brandon Leon Basham (South Carolina): Sentenced in 2004 for kidnapping and killing a woman after escaping prison. He co-defended Chadrick Fulks.
  • Anthony George Battle (Georgia): Convicted in 1997 for the murder of a prison guard.
  • Meier Jason Brown (Georgia): Sentenced in 2003 for fatally stabbing a postal worker.
  • Carlos David Caro (Virginia): Sentenced in 2007 for killing a fellow inmate in a federal prison.
  • Wesley Paul Coonce, Jr. (Missouri): Sentenced in 2014 for killing another inmate in a federal prison’s mental health unit. He co-defended Charles Hall.
  • Brandon Michael Council (South Carolina): Sentenced in 2019 for murdering two bank employees during a robbery.
  • Christopher Emery Cramer (Texas): Sentenced in 2018 for killing a fellow prisoner in a federal facility. He co-defended Ricky Fackrell.
  • Len Davis (Louisiana): A police officer sentenced in 2005 for ordering the murder of a witness in a police misconduct investigation.
  • Joseph Ebron (Texas): Sentenced in 2009 for killing a prisoner in a federal prison.
  • Ricky Allen Fackrell (Texas): Sentenced in 2018 for killing a prisoner in a federal facility. He co-defended Christopher Cramer.
  • Edward Leon Fields, Jr. (Oklahoma): Sentenced in 2005 for the deadly shootings of two campers on federal land.
  • Chadrick Evan Fulks (South Carolina): Sentenced in 2004 for kidnapping and killing a woman following his escape from prison. He co-defended Brandon Basham.
  • Marvin Charles Gabrion, II (Michigan): Sentenced in 2002 for murdering a woman on federal property.
  • Edgar Baltazar Garcia (Texas): Sentenced in 2010 for stabbing a fellow prisoner in a federal facility. He co-defended Mark Snarr.
  • Thomas Morocco Hager (Virginia): Sentenced in 2007 for a drug-related murder.
  • Charles Michael Hall (Missouri): Sentenced in 2014 for murdering a prisoner in a federal prison’s mental health unit. He co-defended Wesley Coonce.
  • Norris G. Holder (Missouri): Convicted in 1998 for fatally shooting a security guard during a bank robbery. He co-defended Billie Allen.
  • Richard Allen Jackson (North Carolina): Sentenced in 2001 for fatally shooting a woman on federal property.
  • Jurijus Kadamovas (California): Sentenced in 2007 for his role in the killings and kidnappings-for-ransom of five Russian and Georgian immigrants. He co-defended Iouri Mikhel.
  • Daryl Lawrence (Ohio): Sentenced in 2006 for murdering a special-duty police officer during a bank robbery attempt.
  • Iouri Mikhel (California): Sentenced in 2007 for his involvement in the killings and kidnappings-for-ransom of five immigrants. He co-defended Jurijus Kadamovas.
  • Ronaldo Mikos (Illinois): In 2005, he was sentenced for the murder of a witness involved in a federal grand jury investigation related to Medicare fraud.
  • James H. Roane, Jr. (Virginia): He received a sentence in 1993 for his role in multiple drug-related murders. Roane is a co-defendant with Corey Johnson and Richard Tipton.
  • Julius Omar Robinson (Texas): In 2002, he was sentenced for the deaths of two individuals connected to drug activities.
  • David Anthony Runyon (Virginia): Sentenced in 2009 for his connection to the assassination of a Naval officer orchestrated as part of a murder-for-hire scheme.
  • Ricardo Sanchez, Jr. (Florida): In 2009, he was sentenced for his role in the drug-related murders of a family, which included two children. He is a co-defendant with Daniel Troya.
  • Thomas Steven Sanders (Louisiana): In 2014, he received a sentence for kidnapping that led to the death of a 12-year-old girl.
  • Kaboni Savage (Pennsylvania): Sentenced in 2013 for being involved in the deaths of 12 individuals linked to a drug enterprise.
  • Mark Isaac Snarr (Texas): In 2010, he was sentenced for fatally stabbing another inmate while serving time in federal prison. He is a co-defendant with Edgar Garcia.
  • Rejon Taylor (Tennessee): He received a sentence in 2008 for carjacking, kidnapping, and murdering a restaurant owner.
  • Richard Tipton (Virginia): In 1993, he was sentenced for his involvement in a series of drug-related killings, sharing co-defendant status with Corey Johnson and James H. Roane, Jr.
  • Jorge Avila Torrez (Virginia): A former Marine, sentenced in 2014 for killing a fellow serviceman.
  • Daniel Troya (Florida): In 2009, he was sentenced for his role in the drug-related murder of a family, including two children; he is a co-defendant with Ricardo Sanchez, Jr.
  • Alejandro Enrique Ramirez Umaña (North Carolina): In 2010, he was sentenced for the deadly shooting of two brothers at a restaurant in North Carolina.

   

   

  This list does not include Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was found guilty for the 2013 Boston Marathon attack that resulted in three deaths and over 260 injuries, Robert Bowers, convicted for the 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh which led to 11 fatalities, and Dylann Roof, who was convicted for the 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel African American Church in Charleston, South Carolina, that resulted in nine deaths.