An order commuting the death penalty to life in prison without possibility of parole was signed by Joe Biden for 37 of 40 people sentenced to death, he said in a statement posted on the White House website.

“Today, President Biden announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 people on federal death row. These individuals’ sentences will be commuted from the death penalty to life in prison without parole,” the White House said in the announcement.

“I have dedicated my career to reducing crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system. Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on death row at the federal level to life in prison without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with my administration’s moratorium on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murders,” Biden said in the statement.

“Make no mistake: I condemn these killers, I grieve for the victims of their heinous acts, and I grieve for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss. But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president and now president, I am more convinced than ever that we must end the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand by and let a new administration continue the executions I stopped,” the outgoing U.S. president added.