President Obama "cut short" the sentences of 214 prisoners, 67 of whom were serving life sentences. The White House described the move as "the largest batch of commutations on a single day in more than a century."

Some of the prisoners were serving time for nonviolent crimes such a drug sales and possession, but some were also charged with firearms violations:

Obama's push to lessen the burden on nonviolent drug offenders reflects his long-stated view that the U.S. needs to remedy the consequences of decades of onerous sentencing requirements that put tens of thousands behind bars for far too long. Obama has used the aggressive pace of his commutations to increase pressure on Congress to pass a broader fix and to call more attention to the issue.

"All of the individuals receiving commutation today — incarcerated under outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws — embody the president's belief that 'America is a nation of second chances,'" White House counsel Neil Eggleston wrote in a blog post.

Eggleston also called on Congress to overhaul the criminal justice system and make a "lasting change to the federal system."

Obama's latest move is only the beginning. "We are not done yet," Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said. "We expect that many more men and women will be given a second chance through the clemency initiative."