President Biden is granting clemency 70 people living on home confinement!

That means 70 people will soon be free to take care of themselves, pursue their dreams and goals, and spend time with their friends and family without the shackles of electronic monitors and the cruel restrictions of confinement. 

It is a historic moment for a President to grant so many clemencies in the first term of their presidency, and it’s important that we celebrate this victory for those 70 people and their families. But what about the other thousands of people still on home confinement? They also deserve clemency. 

President Biden promised us he'd cut the prison population in half and help put an end to racialized mass incarceration. And yet, he is dragging his feet on granting clemency to a group of people who have already spent the past 2 years proving that they are stronger at home with their families and communities, and were already heavily vetted by the Bureau of Prisons in order to be released to home confinement in the first place.

Here is a list of previous updates from this campaign. 

Here is the Petition:

We are asking that you grant clemency for thousands of people, many of whom are elderly and immunocompromised, who were released from prison on home confinement due to the increased threat of the pandemic in prisons. 

We rejoiced at the news that you will be granting clemency to 70 people on home confinement, but this isn't enough. What about the other thousands of people? They also deserve clemency. 

While everyone we’ve spoken with on home confinement is grateful to be living outside of prison, they’ve also shared horror stories of the suffering and cruelty that comes with the carceral restrictions of home confinement. 

There have been several instances where people were sent back to prison because of a bureaucratic error, like Gwen Levi, a grandmother who was deemed an “escapee” while attending a computer skills class. Or Kendrick Fulton, who was thrown in jail because of a temporary housing change while he awaited transfer to a new job. 

We’ve also heard from people who were unable to attend funerals of loved ones because the location was out of range, or had to turn down job opportunities for the same reason. Someone we spoke with even said she’s struggling to manage her diabetes because she’s only allowed to go to the gym once a week. 

You have the power to fix this. You promised us to cut the prison population in half and help put an end to racialized mass incarceration. And yet, you are dragging your feet on granting clemency to a group of people who have already proved that they are stronger at home with their families and communities, and were already heavily vetted by the Bureau of Prisons in order to be released to home confinement in the first place.

We are asking you to use the tools within your power to take action and grant clemency to all those on home confinement today. People need to be free.