President Joe Biden has granted clemency and pardons to a large slate of people in the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
The Associated Press reported that Biden commuted the sentences of about 1,500 people, most of whom were released from prison during the COVID-19 pandemic and sentenced to home confinement. They served at least a year in home confinement after being released.
Another 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes were pardoned.
Clemency is the umbrella term covering both commutations and pardons.
A commutation “reduces a sentence, either totally or partially, that is then being served, but it does not change the fact of conviction, imply innocence, or remove civil disabilities that apply to the convicted person as a result of the criminal conviction,” according to the Department of Justice.
A pardon “is an expression of the President’s forgiveness and ordinarily is granted in recognition of the applicant’s acceptance of responsibility for the crime and established good conduct for a significant period of time after conviction or completion of sentence,” the DOJ said. It doesn’t mean a person is innocent but it does remove some restrictions that would be in play after some convictions including being able to vote, hold state or local office or sit on a jury.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a 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 more pardons and commutations will take place and he is reviving more petitions before he leaves office next month. Biden already pardoned his son Hunter after pledging not to. Activists are also pushing for more people to be released from their sentences, including some on death row, before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. He is also considering preemptive pardons for those who investigated Trump in case of retribution once the president-elect takes office again, the AP reported.
The largest single-day act of clemency was done by former President Barack Obama in 2017 where he issued 330 commutations or pardons, the AP reported.
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