CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has taken action on 124 clemency petitions, granting 38 and denying 86.

The Chicago Democrat announced the news in a release Friday afternoon.

His office says those who were granted clemency have recently undergone criminal background checks. Clemencies that the governor granted were for crimes such as forgery, drug convictions and burglary.

Quinn says he’s granted more than 1,100 clemency petitions since he took office and denied about 1,900 requests.

His office says the governor is making progress on clemency decisions aimed at clearing a backlog of more than 2,500 cases that built up under his predecessor.