Biden surpasses other presidents with first-term clemency grants.

Nearly 1,500 prisoners had their sentences commuted and 39 people were pardoned by President Biden last week, sparking mixed reactions from lawmakers, including Democrats, who pointed out that his actions surpass the clemency actions of any other U.S. president serving his first term in office.

In a statement last week, Biden declared that America was founded on the promise of opportunity and second chances.

Biden, as president, has the privilege of granting mercy to those who have shown remorse and rehabilitation, allowing Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to eliminate sentencing disparities for nonviolent offenders, particularly those convicted of drug offenses.

The administration's decision-making in determining prisoners eligible for clemency was questioned by some lawmakers and criminal justice reform advocates due to the lengthy list of prisoners.

The Biden administration informed CNN that the selection of individuals for inclusion was not based on individual evaluations, but rather, was a standard decision granted to those with a history of good conduct while on house arrest.

In 2012, Rita Crundwell, the former Illinois city comptroller, pleaded guilty to a $55 million embezzlement scheme, while in 2011, Michael Conahan, a former Pennsylvania judge, was convicted for his role in the "Kids-for-Cash" scheme, where children were sent to for-profit detention centers in exchange for millions of dollars in kickbacks from private prisons.

The Justice Department website contains a list of individuals who received clemency from Biden's most recent action. The White House did not respond to Planet Chronicle's request for comment on its decision-making process for issuing presidential pardons.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who was once considered as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, criticized Biden's decision to include Conahan on his list of prisoners granted clemency on Friday.

On Friday, Shapiro stated that he believes Biden made a grave mistake in pardoning Conahan, as it has caused significant distress in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The for-profit detention center scandal resulted in some children taking their lives and families being torn apart, according to Shapiro.

In his two terms as president, Barack Obama granted clemency to a record-breaking 1,927 individuals before leaving office in 2017, surpassing the total of any modern president, including Harry Truman, a Democrat, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Justice Department data.

During his presidency from 1945 to 1953, Truman granted clemency to 2,030 individuals, surpassing Obama's list by a slight margin.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president who was elected four times, granted a total of 3,687 pardons, sentence commutations, and other acts of clemency during his time in the White House. After his death in office during his fourth term, the U.S. Constitution was ratified to restrict all future presidents to two terms in office.

The differences between individuals on Biden's clemency list and those who received reduced or pardoned sentences under Obama were noted by others.

During his presidency, Obama primarily granted clemency to federal inmates who met specific criteria established under his Clemency Initiative, which was discontinued in 2017 upon Trump's inauguration.

The number of individuals granted clemency by each president varies greatly, with no discernible connection to the sitting commander in chief.

The Obama administration mainly concentrated its commutations and reductions on nonviolent drug offenders, many of whom were sentenced under mandatory minimum sentencing laws enacted by Congress in the 1980s.

The Obama administration faced criticism from some Republicans over clemency grants, which were accused of being politically motivated to end certain mandatory minimum sentences, and thus diminishing Congress's authority in lawmaking.

During his first term, Biden's clemency grants surpassed those of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

In the years 2017 to 2021, Trump issued only 236 clemency decisions, which is just 2% of the total number of applications his administration received.

During Trump's first term, the criteria for granting clemency to individuals seemed to differ significantly from those of previous presidents.

According to Lawfare's analysis, 29 out of the 34 pardons issued by Trump were not supported by the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney's recommendations.

Presidents in recent memory have not always relied on the DOJ for input into worthy recipients for pardons and commutations, but such recommendations are not necessary for clemency.