The President shared his thoughts in a personal letter written to each of the 46 individuals receiving a commutation.
As reported on the official White House blog, “The President is committed to using all the tools at his disposal to remedy unfairness in our criminal justice system. Today, he is continuing this effort by granting clemency to 46 men and women, nearly all of whom would have already served their time and returned to society if they were convicted of the exact same crime today.”
Some senior officials have suggested the president could grant mass clemency before the end of his term.