The president’s record-shattering clemency actions help ameliorate the damage caused by the draconian drug policies he supported for most of his political career.
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PresidentJoeBidentodaybrokehisownrecordforthemostcommutationsissuedinasingleday,shorteningthesentencesofnearly2,500peoplewhoareservingtimeinfederalprisonsfornonviolentdrugoffenses.Thatbringshistotalcommutationstomorethan4,000,whichfarexceedsthepreviousrecordsetbyBarackObama,whoshortened1,715federalsentencesaspresident.
Bidenhasgrantedaboutone-thirdofthecommutationssoughtbyfederalprisonerssincehetookoffice,averyhighratecomparedtothoseofhisrecentpredecessors.Obama,whoreceivednearlythreetimesasmanycommutationpetitions,grantedabout5percentofthem,whichwashighcomparedtotheratesforDonaldTrump(1percent),GeorgeW.Bush(0.1percent),BillClinton(1percent),GeorgeH.W.Bush(0.4percent),RonaldReagan(1percent),andJimmyCarter(3percent).GeraldFord’srate(4percent)wasclosetoObama’s,whileRichardNixon’srate(nearly7percent)washigher,butbothofth