By the end of his second and final term on January 20, 2017, United States President Barack Obama had exercised his constitutional power to grant the executive clemency—that is, "pardon, commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve"[1]—to 1,927 individuals convicted of federal crimes.
[5] Until 2024,[6] Obama held the record for the largest single-day use of the clemency power, granting 330 commutations on January 19, 2017, his last full day in office.
[10] As per Justice Department regulations, convicted persons may only apply five or more years after their sentence has been completed.
[20][21] Obama commuted the prison sentences of 330 federal inmates on Thursday, January 19, 2017, his last full day in office.
Obama did so, as one of his final acts in office, in order to reduce what he viewed as overly harsh punishments.