--- title: President Obama Shortens Sentences for 111 Prisoners description: President Obama commuted the sentences of 111 individuals, bringing the total number of prisoners he has granted early release to 673 canonical: https://time.com/4473073/president-obama-shorten-prison-sentences-commute/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-30T19:56:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T00:17:52.566Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Obama Shortens Sentences for 111 Prisoners og:description: He's now commuted more sentences than the 10 previous presidents combined og:url: https://time.com/4473073/president-obama-shorten-prison-sentences-commute/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c23e5ae5e464611/6988a43b524fc02706df9551/gettyimages-518238322.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: President Obama Meets With Formerly Incarcerated Individuals in Washington, D.C. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Obama Shortens Sentences for 111 Prisoners twitter:description: He's now commuted more sentences than the 10 previous presidents combined twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c23e5ae5e464611/6988a43b524fc02706df9551/gettyimages-518238322.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Shortens Sentences for 111 Prisoners > Sponsored content. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=97b43920-2de0-47a2-b612-b1c94ff588ee&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Aug 30, 2016 7:56 PM UTC  Barack Obama speaks to the media after having lunch with formerly incarcerated individuals who have received commutations, including Ramona Brant (L) and Phillip Emmert (R), at Bus Boys and Poets restaurant in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 2016. Barack Obama speaks to the media after having lunch with formerly incarcerated individuals who have received commutations, including Ramona Brant (L) and Phillip Emmert (R), at Bus Boys and Poets restaurant in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 2016. Pool/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Aug 30, 2016 7:56 PM UTC President Obama [commuted the sentences](https://www.justice.gov/pardon/current-fiscal-year-clemency-statistics) of 111 individuals on Tuesday, meaning he has now granted early release to 673 prisoners. According to the White House, that’s more than the 10 previous presidents combined. Obama was once referred to as one of the least merciful in history, having ended his first term without making much use of his clemency power. In his second term, however, addressing the impact of the war on drugs, which many scholars say has significantly contributed to the country’s high levels of incarceration, became a major administration initiative. > [](https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/770699150484701184) The majority of the 111 individuals whose sentences were shortened on Tuesday had been imprisoned for drug trafficking offenses, including crack-cocaine and methamphetamine. Thirty five of the individuals who were granted clemency on Tuesday had been sentenced to life in prison for drug crimes. Many of the prisoners will be released by Dec. 28, not long before the president is set to leave office. 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