President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It marks the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Biden said he would be taking more steps in the weeks ahead and would continue to review clemency petitions. The second largest single-day act of clemency was by Barack Obama, with 330, shortly before leaving office in 2017.
The clemency follows a broad pardon for his son Hunter, who was prosecuted for gun and tax crimes, according to AP.
Of those pardoned Dec. 12, most have been convicted of nonviolent crimes such as drug offenses, fraud or theft and "turned their lives around," White House lawyers said.
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