Two South Carolina women among over 1,500 Americans granted clemency by President Biden
President Joe Biden granted clemency to more than 1,500 Americans Thursday, including two women from South Carolina, according to the White House.
Columbia’s Shawnte Dorothea Williams and Gaffney’s Denita Nicole Parker were pardoned by Biden, the White House said in a news release. They were among the 39 people who were pardoned Thursday, while an additional 1,499 people had their sentences commuted, according to the release.
The more than 1,500 Americans who were granted clemency, the most in a single day, “have shown successful rehabilitation and a strong commitment to making their communities safer,” the White House said.
And the 39 who were pardoned were convicted of non-violent crimes, according to the release.
“I applaud President Biden for pardoning 39 people with non-violent convictions and commuting even more,” U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Santee, who is a close confidante of Biden, said in a news release. “This grant of clemency and restoration of rights is a significant step forward. Many people of color and moderate means have been disproportionately burdened by systemic injustices and clemency is a potent tool in the president’s toolbox to remedy some faults in our legal system.
“We have a leader in President Biden who is committed to tackling these injustices and has done that work in earnest.”
One person who was not pardoned by Biden Thursday was President-elect Donald Trump.
On Saturday, Clyburn said Biden issuing a pardon of Trump would be a way of “cleaning the slate” for the country. Trump faced charges in federal court, one on keeping classified documents at Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, and one for involvement in trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Shawnte Dorothea Williams
Williams was pardoned decades after she pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense while she was in her 20s, the White House said. Now a 45-year-old, Williams has been steadily employed in several fields and is involved in her community, according to the release.
Williams works in her church’s food pantry and serves as a greeter on Sunday mornings, the White House said.
Williams has been described by those who know her as a loyal and dependable community member, according to the release.
Denita Nicole Parker
Like Williams, Parker pleaded guilty to a non-violent offense when she was in her 20s, the White House said.
The 43-year-old woman has been a dedicated parent to her two children and works full time since her conviction, according to the release.
Parker also volunteers with a charitable organization delivering meals at least two to three times per month, organizes donations for the homeless, and buys holiday gifts for children in her community, the White House said. She and her husband also started a program that feeds approximately 100 families.
Friends, work associates and neighbors describe Parker as law-abiding, trustworthy, dependable and dedicated person, according to the release.
Biden’s record
In addition to the pardons, the president commuted the sentences of 1,499 individuals who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and who have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities.
“As the president has said, the United States is a nation of second chances,” the White House said in the release. “The president recognizes how the clemency power can advance equal justice under law and remedy harms caused by practices of the past.”
These are the latest steps for Biden who has used criminal justice reform to help reunite families, strengthen communities and reintegrate individuals back into society, the White House said.
Biden is the first president to issue categorical pardons to individuals convicted of simple use and possession of marijuana, and to former LGBTQI+ service members convicted of private conduct because of their sexual orientation, according to the release.
This will not be the end of Biden’s clemency before he leaves office in January.
“In the coming weeks, the president will take additional steps to provide meaningful second chances and continue to review additional pardons and commutations,” the White House said.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Two South Carolina women among over 1,500 Americans granted clemency by President Biden."
