With this latest round of clemency, he has surpassed the last six presidents combined, commuting the sentences of more than 300 federal prisoners.
The effort comes as part of a push by the executive to reduce the prison population and reform U.S. sentencing laws. Congress is considering new laws aimed at reducing mandatory sentences and refocusing efforts on rehabilitation. Obama, however, has been reluctant to grant full pardons, which expunge offenses altogether, and has done so at a fraction of the rate of some other presidents. Clemency merely reduces the sentence of a prisoner.