In a single day, President Joe Biden reportedly commutated the sentences of 1,500 individuals and granted 39 presidential pardons, making it the largest single-day act of clemency in the history of modern times.
With barely forty days left in his tenure, President Joe Biden made a comprehensive announcement regarding clemency.
This announcement highlighted the efforts of his government to promote “equal justice” and “meaningful second chances” before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said.
Individuals who were freed from home confinement during the Covid-19 outbreak are the primary groups who are affected by the commutations.
A significant number of individuals were supposedly convicted of non-violent offenses, such as drug charges.
Some of the individuals who have been granted a pardon include a nurse who was in charge of disaster response activities, a pilot who was helping sick church members, and an addiction counselor who was guiding young people away from gang life.
The clemency is so widespread that it surpasses the previous record for a single day, which was established by former President Barack Obama, who gave 330 acts of clemency in 2017.
The moves taken by Biden, which were disclosed on Thursday, also follow the contentious pardon that he granted in December to his son Hunter Biden, who had been facing federal charges for unlawful possession of a firearm and tax crimes.
[READ MORE: New Poll Shows Only 20 Percent of Americans Support Biden’s Pardon of His Criminal Son]
