FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 12, 2024

WASHINGTON—In response to President Joe Biden’s historic action to grant clemency for nearly 1,500 people, the most ever granted in a single day by a U.S. President, NETWORK Deputy Executive Director & Chief Equity Officer Joan F. Neal said: 

“NETWORK echoes the White House statement, that clemency power ‘can advance equal justice under the law and remedy harms caused by practices in the past.’ As an organization that works on criminal legal system reform, we grasp how racist policies deny human dignity and social justice. We urge the President to extend clemency for many others who are also waiting for restorative justice. As Catholics await the start of the church’s Jubilee Year of Hope on December 24, we especially appreciate this example of restoring rights, erasing debts, and engendering hope. May it help these individuals participate even more fully in our communities and the systems that shape our collective destinies.” 

Founded by Catholic Sisters in 1972, NETWORK is an inclusive, national, Catholic advocacy organization open to all who share our values, working for justice and equity for everyone. For 52 years, NETWORK has educated, organized, and lobbied for federal policies that serve the common good and honor the dignity of all people.  

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