--- title: President Obama Grants Clemency to 231 People description: The president issued the most grants of executive clemency in a single day in history canonical: https://time.com/4607065/president-obama-grants-clemency-to-231-people/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-19T20:51:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:23:41.213Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama grants executive clemency to 231 people og:description: The most clemency grants in a single day og:url: https://time.com/4607065/president-obama-grants-clemency-to-231-people/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaab186a46b27d43c/6988b3730b72e3b6296ec18a/gettyimages-630111228.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: President Obama Holds Year-End Press Conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama grants executive clemency to 231 people twitter:description: The most clemency grants in a single day twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaab186a46b27d43c/6988b3730b72e3b6296ec18a/gettyimages-630111228.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Grants Clemency to 231 People > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Dec 19, 2016 8:51 PM UTC  President Obama holds a year-end press conference addressing email hacking and cyber security at The White House on December 16, 2016 in Washington, DC. Leigh Vogel—WireImage President Obama holds a year-end press conference addressing email hacking and cyber security at The White House on December 16, 2016 in Washington, DC. Leigh Vogel—WireImage Leigh Vogel—WireImage by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Dec 19, 2016 8:51 PM UTC President Obama issued the largest single day [executive clemency grant](http://time.com/influencers/) on Monday by shortening the sentences of 153 people and pardoning 78 others. The recipients of executive clemency were largely drug offenders, which aligns with President Obama’s [goal of rolling back the harsh penalties](http://time.com/7080/obamas-legacy-project/) instituted during the war on drugs. The president has so far granted clemency to 1,176 people, according to an updated count provided to the [_Associated Press_](http://www.startribune.com/obama-pardons-78-shortens-sentence-for-153-others/407484976/), 395 of those individuals had been serving life sentences. The majority of the president’s grants have been commutations, which shorten prisoners sentences but do not strip them of guilt. The inclusion of 78 pardons, which forgive offenses, is notable. 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