Biden commutes nearly 1,500 sentences, pardons 39 people

Outgoing President Joe Biden has said he had commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others, in what the White House called the largest single-day act of clemency in US history.

"America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances," Biden said on Thursday.

"As President, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation."

Biden said the 39 people forgiven for non-violent crimes "have shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer".

The White House said the nearly 1,500 people granted commuted sentences — "the most ever in a single day" — had been serving them at home for at least one year.

"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," Biden said.

Biden said he would be taking more steps in the weeks ahead and would continue to review clemency petitions. The second largest single-day act of clemency was by Barack Obama, with 330, shortly before leaving office in 2017.

"America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances," he said.

Clemency is the term for the power the president has to pardon, in which a person is relieved of guilt and punishment, or to commute a sentence, which reduces or eliminates the punishment but doesn't exonerate the wrongdoing. It's customary for a president to grant mercy at the end of his term, using the power of the office to wipe away records or end prison terms.

More than any president

Those pardoned Thursday range in age from 36 to 75. About half are men and half are women, and they had been convicted of nonviolent crimes such as drug offences, fraud or theft and turned their lives around, White House lawyers said.

The White House said among those getting relief from the president on Thursday included "a decorated military veteran and pilot who spends much of his time helping his fellow church members".

A nurse "who has led emergency response for several natural disasters" and an addiction counsellor "who volunteers his time" were also singled out for relief.

"Together, these actions build on the President's record of criminal justice reform to help reunite families, strengthen communities, and reintegrate individuals back into society," the White House said.

"The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms."

Biden this month faced criticism for issuing an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was convicted and was due to be sentenced on gun and tax charges, despite earlier assurances that he would not intervene in his son's legal troubles.

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial in September and was facing up to 17 years in prison. For the separate gun charge, he was facing 25 years in prison.