“The power to grant pardons and commutations ... embodies the basic belief in our democracy that people deserve a second chance after having made a mistake in their lives that led to a conviction under our laws.”

— President Obama

President Obama has commuted more sentences than any president in U.S. history.

Our nation faces a cycle of poverty, criminality, and incarceration that traps too many Americans and weakens too many communities. Since taking office, President Obama has fought for a smarter and more equitable criminal justice system. He has been committed to using all the tools at his disposal to remedy the unfairness at the heart of the system—including the presidential power to grant clemency.

The President has now commuted the sentences of 1,715 men and women incarcerated under outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws, including 568 individuals who were serving life sentences. The majority were offenders sentenced for nonviolent drug crimes. To date, the President has granted commutations to more prisoners than the past 13 presidents combined. He has also now granted 212 pardons.

At the same time, President Obama knows that clemency alone cannot fix decades of overly punitive sentencing policies, or make our criminal justice system more fair and more just on the whole. That's why his Administration has worked to enhance fairness and efficiency at all phases of the criminal justice system.

By the Numbers: President Obama's Record on Commutations

Chart last update: January 17, 2017

Life After Prison

Past Commutations Announcements

See all past commutations announcements

Back to Criminal Justice Reform page