President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he would commute the sentences of around 1500 people, many of whom were moved from prison and placed into home confinement during the height of the COVID lockdowns.
In addition to those granted clemency, Biden said he was also pardoning 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes, including drug offenses. In total, the White House said that Biden’s actions “represent the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.”
“The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms,” the White House said. “In the coming weeks, the President will take additional steps to provide meaningful second chances and continue to review additional pardons and commutations.”
The White House said that one person he pardoned is “a…
