Among those who received a pardon was an Ohio woman who shot her abusive husband nearly 50 years ago, a case that called attention to trauma from domestic violence.
WASHINGTON — President Biden on Friday pardoned six people, most of them for minor drug or alcohol offenses, while also calling attention to trauma inflicted by domestic violence.
Those who received pardons included Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, 80, who was convicted of second-degree murder for shooting her abusive husband nearly a half-century ago, when she was pregnant. Ms. Ibn-Tamas, of Columbus, Ohio, testified that her husband had beaten her throughout her pregnancy, including shortly before she shot him.
“During her trial, the court refused to allow expert testimony regarding battered woman syndrome, a psychological condition and pattern of behavior that develops in victims of domestic violence,” a White House statement said. “Ms. Ibn-Tamas’s appeal marked one of the first significant steps toward judicial recognition of battered woman syndrome, and her case has been the subject of numerous academic studies.”
Ms. Ibn-Tamas was sentenced to one to five years’ incarceration. She served approximately four months of her sentence and was released in November 1977, according to the White House. She went on to raise two children as a single mother, and became the nursing director of an Ohio-based health care provider. She still works there as a case manager.
For each of the pardons, White House officials stressed that Mr. Biden was issuing them to people who had served their sentences and become upstanding members of their communities. The latest cases fit a broader pattern for the president when it comes to criminal justice reform. After championing the 1994 crime bill, which led to mass incarceration, he has cautiously embraced leniency for those convicted, particularly of nonviolent drug crimes.
Five of the pardons granted on Friday were related to the sale of drugs or alcohol. Their recipients were: Gary Parks Davis, 66, of Yuma, Ariz., who facilitated a cocaine sale at age 22; Edward Lincoln De Coito III, 50, of Dublin, Calif., who was convicted of involvement in marijuana trafficking at 23; Vincente Ray Flores, 37, of Winters, Calif., who consumed ecstasy and alcohol when he was 19 and serving in the military; Charlie Byrnes Jackson, 77, of Swansea, S.C., who sold whiskey without a required tax stamp when he was 18; and John Dix Nock III, 72, of St. Augustine, Fla., who pleaded guilty to one count related to marijuana manufacturing 27 years ago.
Mr. Davis has owned a landscaping business and volunteered with several civic organizations. Mr. De Coito served in the military before his offense and became an electrician and a pilot after his release. Mr. Flores remains on active duty in the Air Force, where he was honored with several medals and awards, and volunteers for causes including cancer research. Mr. Jackson, an active member of his church for decades, used his carpentry skills to repair buildings in his community. Mr. Nock is a general contractor and organizes an annual fishing tournament to benefit young men with troubled upbringings.
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“I’m just really happy to see my dad happy,” Mr. Nock’s daughter, Annie Nock, said when reached by telephone on Friday. “It’s a lot to process.”
Mr. Nock said the Biden administration called him on Wednesday to tell him about the pardon. “Wednesday night, I broke down and cried and hyperventilated and that’s not like me,” Mr. Nock said. “I had no idea I felt that way.”
Mr. Nock said he would like to see Mr. Biden issue more pardons for those who have accepted responsibility for their crimes.
“I broke the law, I accepted it. No hard feelings towards anyone, I’m just stupid sometimes,” he said. “But this makes me whole again. I’m now 100 percent an American citizen of which, I’m extremely proud. This came out of nowhere.”
The backlog of pardon petitions has steadily increased to 3,339 applications this year, from 2,009 in 2017, according to Justice Department data. Mr. Biden issued three pardons in April and commuted the sentences of 75 nonviolent drug offenders.
In October, he pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law, although all of those recipients had already served their prison sentences. The Justice Department has not yet sent certificates of the pardons to each person with a marijuana record in order to help them overcome barriers for employment, school or federal benefits, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal process.
Mr. Biden also announced that his administration would review whether the substance should still be in the same legal category as drugs like heroin and LSD. When asked for an update on the review, the White House referred to the Justice Department, which did not return requests for comment.
The administration appears intent on providing additional pardons. In recent weeks, the Justice Department’s pardon office gathered U.S. attorneys and encouraged them to suggest candidates for clemency. The administration appeared focused on helping those who had committed nonviolent drug offenses, according to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions.
Jim Tankersley reported from St. Croix, V.I., and Zolan Kanno-Youngs from Washington. Alain Delaquérière contributed research.
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