The Nigerian
The Realest Member of TheColi
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday asked lawyers around the country to help some drug prisoners prepare petitions for clemency, a dramatic expansion of President Barack Obama’s action last month commuting the sentences of eight people he said were serving unduly harsh drug sentences.
The speech by the second-ranking official at the Justice Department, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, came as the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of substantial changes to drug laws that could reduce the nation’s prison population and bring exploding costs under control.
Cole’s remarks — in which he urged passage of the drug legislation — were a strong signal that the Obama administration intends to press forward with substantial changes in drug policy — an issue that some Republicans are willing to join in an effort to reduce the massive costs of the nation’s prison system.
In an address to the New York State Bar Association, Cole said there are low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who remain in prison, and who would likely have received a substantially lesser sentence if convicted of the same crimes today.
“This is not fair, and it harms our criminal justice system,” Cole said. “To help correct this, we need to identify these individuals and get well-prepared petitions into the Department of Justice.” The department is trying to identify prisoners in similar circumstances to the eight granted clemency last year so it can recommend them to Obama for clemency, he said.
Full article: http://www.taxfreeincome.cc/news/obama-administration-seeks-to-free-drug-offenders/
Basically, if you have people in the feds for low level drug offenses you might want to let a defense attorney know. They're gearing up for some dramatic sh!t.
