President Obama Commutes The Sentences Of 46 Nonviolent Prisoners Barack still got a couple tricks up his sleeve before he vacates 1600… Via CNN President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 46 drug offenders, saying in a video posted online Monday that the men and women were not “hardened criminals” and their punishments didn’t match the crimes they committed. Obama said the move was part of his larger attempt to reform the criminal justice system, including reviewing sentencing laws and reducing punishments for non-violent crimes. With Monday’s announcement, Obama has commuted more sentences than any president since Lyndon B. Johnson. “I believe that at its heart, America is a nation of second chances, and I believe these folks deserve their second chance,” Obama said in the video. The move brings the number of Obama’s commutations to nearly 90. Most of those have been for federal prisoners incarcerated for drug offenses who were slapped with long sentences mandated under guidelines set during a drug-and-crime wave in the 1980s. Under current sentencing guidelines most of those prisoners would have already finished serving time. Of the 46 prisoners whose sentences were commuted on Monday, 13 were sentenced to prison for life. Most of those commuted sentences will now end in November, a several month transition period that officials said allowed for arrangements to be made in halfway homes and other facilities. After they’re released, the former prisoners will be supervised by probation officers and subject to conditions that were set during their original sentencing, which is some cases includes drug testing. How do you feel about Obama’s big move? Do you have an incarcerated family member who deserves clemency from the President? Image via AP
Read the original here:
Free At Last: Obama Commutes Prison Sentences For 46 Nonviolent Drug Offenders
