In a shift that various prison reform advocates are in great belief is sign of similar actions to come, President Barack Obama stated back in March 31, that he will commute the sentence of 22 prisoners who were doing time for drug offenses.
Obamas announcement effectively doubled the total use of his pardon power throughout his time as president. The commutations come almost a year after Deputy Attorney General James Cole initially announced a new clemency initiative that was meant to identify and vet inmates who had been cruelly sentenced for less offensive drug crimes and may make good contenders for clemency. The initiative was ready to go through all 215,000 federal inmates for a possible pardon.
Neil Eggleston who is part of the White House Counsel stated that large amount of people whose sentences were commuted wouldn’t have been sentenced to such cruel penalties if their crimes were carried out today. “Had they been sentenced under current laws and policies, many of these individuals would have already served their time and paid their debt to society,” Eggleston put on the White House website. “Because many were convicted under an outdated sentencing regime, they served years — in some cases more than a decade — longer than individuals convicted today of the same crime.”
The administration stated that clemency is a last resort resolution and pushed Democrats and Republicans to work as a unit on “sensible reforms” to the criminal justice system, to reform mandatory minimum sentencing laws. it indicates the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act, Which lowered the disparity in sentences for crimes with crack cocaine as one such successful reform.
General counsel for Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), Mary Price who is a part of this advocacy work group that is working to reform drug laws. stated to VICE News back on the 1st of April that she is “thrilled” about Obama’s decision, and looks forward to more action in the future.


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3 comments
  1. With states that have legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes I believe Obama is making the right move by pardoning inmates for marijuana related crimes it would plainly contradict current laws that allow the use of marijuana even if inmates were sentenced prior to the state passing a law that allows the use of legal marijuana.

  2. I like what Obama is doing here. Definitely steps in the right direction in the battle to reform drug laws!

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