President Obama Has Now Granted More Commutations than Any President in this Nations History

[Renew Deal]

Source: whitehouse.gov

Summary: Today, 273 individuals learned that the President has given them a second chance.

Today, 273 individuals learned that the President has given them a second chance. With today’s 209 grants of commutation, the President has now commuted the sentences of 1,385 individuals – the most grants of commutation issued by any President in this nation’s history. President Obama’s 1,385 commutation grants – which includes 504 life sentences – is also more than the total number of commutations issued by the past 12 presidents combined. And with today’s 64 pardons, the President has now granted a total of 212 pardons.

Today, 209 commutation recipients – including 109 individuals who had believed they would live out their remaining days in prison – learned that they will be rejoining their families and loved ones, and 64 pardon recipients learned that their past convictions have been forgiven. These 273 individuals learned that our nation is a forgiving nation, where hard work and a commitment to rehabilitation can lead to a second chance, and where wrongs from the past will not deprive an individual of the opportunity to move forward. Today, 273 individuals – like President Obama’s 1,324 clemency recipients before them – learned that our President has found them deserving of a second chance.

While the mercy the President has shown his 1,597 clemency recipients is remarkable, we must remember that clemency is an extraordinary remedy, granted only after the President has concluded that a particular individual has demonstrated a readiness to make use of his or her second chance. Only Congress can achieve the broader reforms needed to ensure over the long run that our criminal justice system operates more fairly and effectively in the service of public safety.
Neil Eggleston is Counsel to the President. 

Read more: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2017/01/17/president-obama-has-now-granted-more-commutations-any-president-nations-history

[tenorly]

1. Kudos to President Obama - but what about Don Siegelman!?!

The man's a political prisoner, and everyone knows it (including a lot of people overseas).

https://free-don.us/

Do the right thing, Mr. President.

[Renew Deal]

4. He's due to be released August 8, 2017

So I'm not sure if Obama is going to stick his neck out for that unless he feels Siegelman is innocent.

[tenorly]

5. I see. Thanks!

He should nevertheless; Siegelman was clearly railroaded, and to let him serve out his sentence while still having the option to commute it, is tantamount to a tacit endorsement of said trial and sentence.

All the more so in this case because Obama - as the most hated man on Earth by Alabama RepubliKKKans - would have nothing to lose politically, and everything to gain.

[secondwind]

2. is there a list of the commutees?

[Renew Deal]

3. Yes, but it doesn't look like the latest ones are up yet.

https://www.justice.gov/pardon/obama-pardons
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/obama-commutations

[Comatose Sphagetti]

6. Love it!!! n/t

[Bayard]

7. No chance for Leonard Peltier?

Any hope for him?

[yeoman6987]

8. Trump will do 1598 just to brag he did more then obama. Watch. He's a snake.

However instead of small drug crimes, trumps will be big time financial types. Watch! He's proved himself already.

[stuffmatters]

9. Still hoping he reschedules marijuana in the next 60 hours.

That would be his most magnificent and lasting act of official compassion and justice.

[hollowdweller]

10. And a lot of them to just regular folks

[Scurrilous]

11. K & R

[uppityperson]

14. He was my first thought also

[SteamAddict]

13. Good!

Thank you Mr. President. But the list is still too short. Every drug offender should be on that list. Eliminate victimless crime!

[McKim]

15. Praying for the Freedom of Leonard Peltier

I am praying for the freedom of Leonard Peltier. He is America's longest serving political prisoner. He is not in good health and needs to be with his family. I urge all to write to Obama over the next few days on this issue.