{"id":1262,"date":"2017-02-03T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T13:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1262"},"modified":"2017-02-02T13:44:13","modified_gmt":"2017-02-02T19:44:13","slug":"pardons-commutations-and-the-distribution-of-clemency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2017\/02\/03\/pardons-commutations-and-the-distribution-of-clemency\/","title":{"rendered":"Pardons, Commutations, and the Distribution of Clemency"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Stephen Melkisethian, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barack\u00a0Obama issued\u00a0<\/span>78 pardons and 153 commutations<\/span><\/a>\u00a0before leaving office, including commuting the sentence of <\/span>Chelsea Manning<\/span><\/a>. While commutations shorten the sentences of incarcerated individuals, but do not alter their criminal record, pardons remove the conviction from the individual\u2019s record. <\/span>Obama\u2019s latest string of clemency decisions brings his <\/span>administration\u2019s total to 1,324<\/span><\/a>, the <\/span>majority of which were commutations<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Research on federal executive clemency shows that rates of clemency are\u00a0highest when Democratic presidents are in power, when crime rates are lower, and during periods of war. Legal research also highlights variation between states, with certain governors utilizing clemency measures more than others, though not necessarily along party lines.\u00a0<\/span>While executive clemency was once a practice commonly employed by U.S. presidents, its use has declined in recent decades. <\/span>This decreased use of executive clemency has coincided with a\u00a0sharp increase in\u00a0arrests, both of which\u00a0have\u00a0contributed to the substantial rise in incarcerated individuals across the U.S.\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n