The White House said it was ’the most ever in a single day.’
President Joe Biden on Dec. 12 commuted the sentences of about 1,500 people convicted of crimes and pardoned 39 people. This follows his pardoning of his son, Hunter Biden, earlier this month.
The number of people to whom Biden granted clemency was “the most ever in a single day,” according to a White House statement.
“As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses,” Biden said in the statement.
Record Number of Commutations in a Day
The commutations announced on Dec. 12 are for 1,499 people who have been serving home sentences for at least one year under the CARES Act, which was passed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when some prison inmates were released in part to stop the spread of the virus.
The White House stated that those pardoned “have shown successful rehabilitation and a strong commitment to making their communities safer,” adding that they have “successfully reintegrated into their families and communities” since the COVID-19 pandemic release.
The names of those who were granted clemency were released on the White House website.
New Pardons Announced
People who were pardoned on Dec. 12 were convicted of nonviolent offenses such as drug crimes, according to the White House.
They include a woman who led emergency response teams during natural disasters, a church deacon who works as a counselor, and a military veteran.
The president had previously issued 122 commutations and 21 other pardons. He has also broadly pardoned those convicted of the use and possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia and pardoned former U.S. service members convicted of violating a now-repealed military ban.
Earlier this month, the president pardoned Hunter Biden for two federal tax and gun convictions, which were scheduled for sentencing in the coming weeks. Biden also pardoned his son for any other crime that he may have committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024.
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