US President Joe Biden announced today he will commute the sentences of nearly 1.500 individuals and pardon 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes, marking a sweeping use of presidential pardon power just weeks before the end of a presidential administration. .

White House officials are calling Thursday's move the largest single-day pardon in modern history.

Biden has been under increasing pressure to issue more pardons before leaving office after he pardoned his son Hunter earlier this month. He also promised that additional actions will be announced in the coming weeks.

"America was built on the promise of opportunity and second chances. As president, I have the great privilege of showing mercy to people who have shown remorse and rehabilitation, restoring the opportunity for Americans to participate in everyday life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to eliminate disparities in sentencing for nonviolent offenders, particularly those convicted of drug offenses," Biden said.

Nearly 1.500 individuals whose lengthy sentences were commuted on Thursday were placed in home isolation during COVID-19 and were deemed to have demonstrated a clear commitment to rehabilitation and reintegration into their communities, the sources said. The other 39 people who were pardoned were convicted of non-violent crimes.

"They are individuals who have secured employment, advanced their education, served as caregivers for their children and family members, and truly reintegrated into their communities. They include individuals who faced extraordinary challenges in life and they've really now shown resilience and looking to overcome those challenges," an administration official familiar with the announcement told CNN.

Biden has consulted with White House counsel Ed Siskel and lawyers in the attorney general's office about a range of pardon options, the sources said. The White House counsel's office has also been in consultation with the Justice Department's Office of Pardons Counsel. /CNN