President Obama announced an additional 79 commutations on Tuesday, expanding his already prolific use of his clemency authority over his eight years in office.
Obama has now commuted the sentences of 1,023 inmates throughout his presidency, including 342 who were serving life sentences. In 2016 alone, he released 839 federal prisoners.
To date, Obama has now granted more individuals clemency than the past 11 presidents combined.
Most of the prisoners who were given shortened sentences are non-violent drug offenders. But 16 of the prisoners were convicted of possession of a firearm during their drug-related offense, and 17 of the drug-related sentences involved possession and/or distribution of methamphetamine.
In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, White House counsel Neil Eggleston said to expect more commutations as Obama’s time in the White House draws near.
“We have two months left in this administration,” Eggleston said. “I think you can anticipate that we will keep going until the end.”
In 2014, the Justice Department announced a new clemency initiative for reviewing and expediting clemency applications from federal inmates. President-elect Donald Trump has not revealed how he will handle pending applications.
“Commuting excessive sentences is the right thing to do. We’re not safer when we waste expensive prison space on people who no longer need or deserve it,” said Kevin Ring, vice presdient of Families Against Mandatory Minimums in a statement.
