Washington D.C.(CNN) — More than 200 federal inmates received a message from President Obama on Wednesday. Their requests for clemency were granted.
The White House says the president commuted the sentences of 214 inmates nationwide. Of those, 67 were serving life sentences. Almost all were for nonviolent drug crimes.
The White House says the commutations confirm the president’s belief that America is a nation of second chances.
This is the most number of presidential clemencies granted in a single day since at least 1900. Obama has commuted the sentences of 562 people since taking office — that’s more than the past nine presidents combined.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.