President Biden announced that he has issued pardons 39 people and granted clemency to 1,500 others.
A pardon is essentially a cancelation of someone’s criminal sentence or – as in the case of his son Hunter Biden – potential criminal sentence. Clemency is the reduction of a sentence or restoration of civil rights that were lost when the person was sentenced.
The White House did not announce the names of any of the pardon or clemency recipients but it did say that this is “the most ever in a single day.” The White House says that the recipients have “shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer.” I am also commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people who are serving long prison sentences – many of whom would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices. These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the COVID pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance.
The White House also says that they’re not done with pardons and clemency and will be taking “more steps in the weeks ahead…[and] will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances.”
