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President\u00a0Joe Biden<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is\u00a0commuting the sentences<\/a><\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0roughly 1,500 people<\/a><\/span>\u00a0who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It\u2019s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.<\/p>\n The commutations announced Thursday are for people who have served out home confinement sentences for at least one year after they were released. Prisons were uniquely bad for spreading the virus and some inmates were released in part to stop the spread. At one point,\u00a01 in 5 prisoners had COVID-19,<\/a><\/span>\u00a0according to a tally kept by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerica was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,\u201d\u00a0Biden said in a statement<\/a><\/span>. \u201cAs president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses.\u201d<\/p>\n The clemency follows a\u00a0broad pardon for his son Hunter<\/a><\/span>, who was prosecuted for gun and tax crimes. Biden is under pressure from advocacy groups to pardon broad swaths of people, including those on federal death row, before the Trump administration takes over in January. He\u2019s also weighing whether\u00a0to issue preemptive pardons<\/a><\/span> to those who investigated Trump\u2019s effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and are facing possible retribution when he takes office.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t exonerate the wrongdoing. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 offenses, fraud or theft and turned their lives around, White House lawyers said. They include a woman who led emergency response teams during natural disasters; a church deacon who has worked as an addiction counselor and youth counselor; a doctoral student in molecular biosciences; and a decorated military veteran.<\/p>\n Louisiana resident Trynitha Fulton, 46, was one of the pardons; she pleaded guilty to participating in a payroll fraud scheme while serving as a New Orleans middle school teacher in the early 2000s. She was sentenced to three years of probation in 2008.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pardon gives me a sense of freedom,\u201d Fulton said in a written statement to the AP. \u201cThe conviction has served as a mental barrier for me, limiting my ability to live a full life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe pardon gives me inspiration to make more impactful decisions personally and professionally,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n After her conviction, Fulton went on to earn a master\u2019s degree. She helps lead the nonprofit Skyliners-Youth Outreach, which supports New Orleans youth by providing hot meals, clothing, shelter and mental health referrals.<\/p>\n The president had previously issued 122 commutations and 21 other pardons. He\u2019s also broadly\u00a0pardoned those convicted of use and simple<\/a><\/span>\u00a0possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia, and pardoned former\u00a0U.S. service members convicted<\/a><\/span>\u00a0of violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex.<\/p>\n Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and 34 other lawmakers are urging the president to pardon environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger, who was imprisoned or under house arrest for three years because of a contempt of court charge related to his work representing Indigenous farmers in a lawsuit against Chevron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n