Biden Commutes Sentences in Largest Single-Day Clemency

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes.

The action, announced Thursday, marks the largest single-day act of clemency in modern U.S. history.

The commutations apply to individuals who have served at least one year under home confinement after their release, a measure initially implemented to curb the spread of the virus in overcrowded prisons. At the height of the pandemic, one in five prisoners contracted COVID-19, according to the Associated Press.

“This is a step toward addressing sentencing disparities and offering second chances to those who’ve demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation,” Biden said in a statement, adding that more clemency decisions are forthcoming.

The previous record for a single-day clemency action was set by former President Barack Obama, who commuted 330 sentences in 2017.

The announcement follows Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, for gun and tax-related charges. 

Among those pardoned are individuals convicted of minor drug offenses, a decorated military veteran, and a doctoral student. Biden has also pardoned individuals convicted of marijuana possession on federal lands and former service members affected by outdated bans on consensual same-sex relationships.