President Obama Grants Early Rlease To 61 More Federal Drug Offenders

[Purveyor]

Source: Washington Post

By Sari Horwitz and Ann E. Marimow March 30 at 2:07 PM

President Obama commuted the sentences of 61 inmates Wednesday, part of his ongoing effort to give relief to prisoners who were harshly sentenced in the nation’s war on drugs.

More than one-third of the inmates were serving life sentences. Obama has granted clemency to 248 federal inmates, including Wednesday's commutations. White House officials said that Obama will continue granting clemency to inmates who meet certain criteria set out by the Justice Department throughout his last year. The president has vowed to change how the criminal justice system treats nonviolent drug offenders.

Since the Obama administration launched a high-profile clemency initiative, thousands more inmates have applied. Another 9,115 clemency petitions from prisoners are still pending.

“The power to grant pardons and commutations .?.?. embodies the basic belief in our democracy that people deserve a second chance after having made a mistake in their lives that led to a conviction under our laws,” Obama wrote in a letter to the 61 inmates whose sentences he commuted.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/president-obama-grants-early-release-to-61-more-federal-drug-offenders/2016/03/30/7256bb60-f683-11e5-8b23-538270a1ca31_story.html

[Hekate]

1. KnR!

[Festivito]

2. More!

[jpak]

3. K&R

yup

[Chakab]

4. Not enough. Non-violent drug offenders should not be in the penal system at all.

[phazed0]

5. Agreed +1. But still, this is more than I expected from Obama. nt

[jeff47]

8. Drug offenders should not be in the penal system at all.

If there was some violence involved, then they should be in the penal system for that violence. Not for the drug offense.

[AngryAmish]

16. In the US, the modern heroin trade avoids violence at all cost.

It is mostly Mexican drug dealers, who buy heroin balloons for x dollars, sell them for y dollars. They make a point to never have much cash on them. They try not to sell in bad neighborhoods.

Suburban white kids have the cash. Meet in random parking lots, dealers drive minivans. Do it for a year, avoid the cops, return to Mexico with enough to get married.

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. Exchange them for banksters, who actually deserve to be imprisoned.

[Vincardog]

6. Only 9,054 to go

[Helen Borg]

11. Yup. So, let me check...

Why cannot they all be released early?....

[jeff47]

7. Only millions to go!! (nt)

[jwirr]

9. I hope he continues to do this. How does be find out about

each person? Is it possible to give a blanket pardon to most of them?

[raging moderate]

12. Great!

Now if only they can step up the process to free many more of these people.

[NBachers]

13. Don Siegelman . . .

[SusanCalvin]

14. Beat me to it. nt

[Doctor_J]

15. Yep. I guess political prisoners aren't on the radar yet

[Pastiche423]

17. The first thing that came to mind was...

Governor Don. I think this pisses me off more than anything else Obama has /hasn't done.

[morningglory]

18. Hasn't he about served his full sentence? Tragic! nt

[Pastiche423]

19. His term ends in 2017

For doing nothing illegal.

[morningglory]

20. I wish he could sue Karl Rove's pants off! nt

[riversedge]

21. Good news. continue on please Pres Obama and Thank you