Several people received a pardon from the American president and reduced the sentence for others. Some of those prisoners that he pardoned were those with minor offenses had been serving a long term, and deserved the pardon. The behavior was the main attribute that determined those to receive the presidential pardon.
Even though commutations were different, the shortening; of a prison sentence was considered as legal because it was necessary to give people who had changed a chance to rectify and become a better individual in the society.