Official announcements from the White House or Department of Justice press releases

Biden Grants Record Clemency, Commuting 1,500 Sentences Under CARES Act, Pardons 39

Dec 12, 2024, 03:48 PM

President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of approximately 1,500 individuals who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic under the CARES Act and pardoned 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. The White House described this action as the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history. Biden stated that 'America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances' and indicated he would 'take more steps in the weeks ahead' to advance equal justice under the law. The individuals who received commutations had been serving their sentences at home for at least one year.