Over 100 Business Leaders Urge President Biden to Commute the Federal Death Row
Letter signed by Sir Richard Branson, Paul Polman, and Sheryl Sandberg says the death penalty undermines “good governance, stability, and fairness”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Washington, DC) More than 100 business leaders around the globe have signed and submitted a letter urging President Biden to use his clemency power to "cement a legacy of leadership, compassion, and advancing racial justice” by commuting all federal death sentences to a term of life imprisonment. Among the letter’s signatories are Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group; Paul Polman, Former CEO of Unilever; and Sheryl Sandberg, Former COO of Meta.
“President Biden’s campaign pledge to help end the death penalty at the federal level demonstrated a commitment to good governance and the rule of law,” said Branson. “We call on the President to honor the spirit of this pledge before leaving office.”
President Biden is the first U.S. president to openly oppose the death penalty. The business leaders’ letter acknowledges his historic stance and emphasizes how the death penalty’s failures and inherent biases contradict core business principles, including ethical governance, fiscal responsibility, and contributing to the well-being of communities.
Key points raised in the letter include:
Wrongful Convictions: The U.S. death penalty has an alarming error rate, with at least 200 innocent people being exonerated from death row since 1973.
Racial Bias: The death penalty disproportionately targets minority populations, with more than half of those on federal death row being individuals of color and nearly 40% being Black men.
Ineffectiveness and Cost: The death penalty lacks any proven deterrent effect while imposing massive financial burdens on taxpayers. Death penalty prosecutions consistently cost more than non-capital homicide cases across every stage, from arrest to incarceration.
“The death penalty is unethical, wasteful, and shockingly error-prone,” said Maha Jweied, CEO of the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ). “Business leaders are keenly aware of how this broken system of punishment damages public trust, drains taxpayer resources, and harms the communities they serve. We applaud the over 100 leaders who have encouraged President Biden to do the right thing to advance an end to the death penalty by commuting the federal death row and invite other executives to join this vital effort.”
Business leaders who wish to add their name to the letter to President Biden can contact Lena Patel, RBIJ’s Deputy CEO, at: lena@rbij.org
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