Report: Obama Clemency Grants Hit 64-Year High at End of Presidency

Former President Barack Obama commuted prison sentences of nearly 2,000 federal inmates, the highest total since President Harry Truman left office in 1953, according to a report by the PEW Research Center.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A total of 1,927 inmates were granted clemency by Former President Barack Obama, according to the report.

"Overall, Obama granted clemency to 1,927 individuals, a figure that includes 1,715 commutations and 212 pardons."

The report, based on statistics from the US Department of Justice, noted that Truman granted clemency 2,044 times.

Obama also received more clemency requests than any previous president, due to his administration’s initiative to shorten jail terms for non-violent offenders convicted of drug crimes, the report explained.

The report excludes blanket amnesties for thousands of Vietnam-era draft dodgers, the report noted.

The two most common forms of presidential clemency are commutations, which reduce prison sentences, and pardons, which forgive past crimes, the report added.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!