For Immediate Release  

Contact: Katlyn Toelle 
Phone: (443) 417-5383 
Email: katlyn@rbij.org 

(Washington, D.C.) Today, President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 individuals – the most of any U.S. president – and replaced them with terms of life imprisonment. This historic decision follows weeks of advocacy from a diverse coalition of voices spanning the faith, political, and business communities, which urged Biden to commute the entirety of the federal death row. Among these efforts was a letter signed by more than 100 business leaders, including Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group; Sheryl Sandberg, Former COO of Meta; and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Founders of Ben & Jerry’s. 

In response to the commutations, Branson, who co-founded the global Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty campaign, and Maha Jweied, CEO of the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ), the international nonprofit that co-leads the campaign, released the following statements: 

Sir Richard Branson: “President Biden has made a historic decision to put common sense over retribution and vengeance. The death penalty is broken. It’s inhumane and unfair. It’s costly and wasteful. And it doesn’t deliver justice or make communities safer. Commuting these federal death sentences sends an important signal that there are alternatives to state-sanctioned killing. By championing forgiveness and mercy, President Biden has come down on the right side of history.” 

Maha Jweied: “Before today, 40 people faced the possibility of execution by the federal government. Thanks to this historic act, that threat has been removed for 37 of them. President Biden's commutations will go far with the business community, which increasingly views the death penalty as a failed, wasteful, overreaching government program. Business leaders recognize that the United States can hold people accountable for their actions without killing them, and justice can be served without resorting to a practice notorious for wrongful convictions, burdening taxpayers, and further tarnishing the country’s human rights reputation.” 

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The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is an award-winning international nonprofit that works with companies to champion solutions that promote public safety, deliver justice, and strengthen communities.  

Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty is a global campaign launched by RBIJ and Sir Richard Branson in 2021, and its declaration has since been signed by more than 450 key figures from the global business community. The full list of signatories is available here.