Biden Issues Record-Breaking Clemency, Pardons 39, Commutes 1,500 Sentences

President Joe Biden announced Thursday the largest single-day act of clemency in modern US history, commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 others convicted of non-violent crimes, The Associated Press reports.

The unprecedented move surpasses the previous record set by President Barack Obama, who granted clemency to 330 people in 2017.

The commutations target people released from prison and placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. These people have completed at least one year of their home confinement sentences.

The 39 pardoned people were convicted of non-violent offenses, predominantly drug-related crimes. White House officials highlighted the recipients’ subsequent rehabilitation and contributions to their communities, including a disaster relief team leader, a church deacon working in addiction counseling, a doctoral student, and a decorated military veteran.

“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a statement.

This latest action builds upon prior clemency efforts, including 122 commutations, 21 pardons, and broad pardons for marijuana possession and use on federal lands and in the District of Columbia, as well as pardons for former service members convicted under a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex.

The announcement comes amidst intense pressure from advocacy groups urging broader clemency, including for people on federal death row. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and 34 other lawmakers are specifically calling for the pardon of environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger.

President Biden is also considering preemptive pardons for people who investigated President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results which he considers to be false. While sources familiar with the matter have confirmed the President’s consideration of this option for months, concerns regarding precedent setting have reportedly slowed a decision.

The president’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, on gun and tax charges, has further fueled the debate surrounding the scope of presidential clemency. While the decision was met with mixed public reaction, with only around 20% approval according to an AP-NORC poll, it intensified calls for similar actions on behalf of other people.