On January 29th 1979 President Jimmy Carter commuted the seven year prison sentence of Patty Hearst, freeing her after 22 months.

Patty Hearst, granddaughter of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, had been kidnapped aged 19 by the Symbionese Liberation Army. After 57 days of rape and confinement, Hearst took the name Tania and joined the SLA.

When she was finally caught, after helping the SLA to rob banks, she was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. Despite repeated appeals, judges and juries consistently considered her to have been completely responsible for her actions.

She was later issued a full pardon by Bill Clinton.

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