Obama Commutes Sentences Of 46 Convicts

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By NANCY BENAC
Associated Press
Jul 13, 12:51 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is cutting the prison sentences of 46 convicts as part of a broader effort to make the criminal justice fairer and ease the punishment of those serving more time than their crimes warranted.

The president has now issued nearly 90 commutations, most of them to non-violent offenders sentenced for drug crimes under outdated sentencing rules. A commutation leaves the conviction in place, but ends the punishment. Several of those granted clemency Monday had been sentenced to life in prison.

Obama this week is devoting considerable attention to the criminal justice system. He'll lay out ideas for how to improve the fairness of the system during a speech on Tuesday. And on Thursday he'll become the first siting president to visit a federal prison.


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CRIMINAL_JUSTICE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-07-13-12-51-15

[niyad]

1. don siegelman, anyone?

[HassleCat]

6. He can't

He can't pardon Siegelman because the prosecution was a political hatchet job. If that sounds strange, it is, but victims of such hatchet jobs seldom get justice because of fears it would set off series of back-and-forth prosecutions, investigations, pardons, etc. What Obama should do is launch an investigation of the Bush DoJ, and maybe figure out a way to get Siegelman out of prison pending the results. I thought he had been let out, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

[heaven05]

7. I hope

against hope that he is released soon. His incarceration is a travesty.

[SamKnause]

2. Leonard Peltier anyone ???

[niyad]

8. thank you.

[heaven05]

9. Yep

deserves not to be railroaded as it seems he was. The prisons are full of people who not deserve to be there. He is one it seems, from all I've read. I do not trust any testimony of the authorities who are involved in this travesty. Something stinks especially with that "affidavit" of the native-american woman who I guess was coerced into signing. Interesting, I've got to research much more on this. I remember it.

[SamKnause]

13. Thank you for your reply and input.

[iandhr]

11. There was an episode of the West Wing....

... that talked about executive clemency.

The president first considered a native american leader that I think was based on Peltier and a fictional Republican in jail who was dying.


Bartlett ended up reserving clemency for non-violent drug offenders. Cases that wouldn't be controversial. The fictional pardon attorney in the episode used term "packing peanuts"

Both real and fictional presidents seem to reserve clemency these days for those those names which won't generate any political storms.

[SamKnause]

14. Thank you for your reply and input.

[progressoid]

12. I would be truly shocked if that happens.

My cynical side can't see it happening.

Maybe with President Sanders though...

[SamKnause]

15. I would be shocked as well.

Thanks for your reply and input.

[Shrike47]

3. This is a start, but there are a lot more than 46 people serving lengthy, unjust sentences.

[HassleCat]

4. Scouring the record

The GOP will be examining the records of every one of those people, looking for anything more serious than jaywalking. Although jaywalking will do just fine if they can't find anything else. Darrel Issa will probably have to hold extensive hearings, and Fox News will have to "investigate," etc.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Soft on crime

[Stellar]

10. Tough on crime BS is pissing me off!

This guy know's he was wrong, but he got double life for selling LSD. It's just stupid. Especially when all of that male testosterone is flowing. Trying to prove just how tough they are.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/13/politics/obama-commutes-sentences-drug-offenders/index.html

[Uncle Joe]

16. Kudos to President Obama for "being strong on justice."

This is a good start, although there are too many more Americans rotting in prison for no good reason.

Thanks for the thread, Purveyor.

[Comrade Grumpy]

17. There will be many more to come. The administration last year asked drug war prisoners to apply.

Some 30,000 have done so. This is just the beginning.

[Blue_Tires]

18. k+r