ill
Superstar
This is one of the things that I can truly appreciate about Obama. End the drug war!
Obama’s Biggest Commutation Announcement Yet Will Help More than 200 Imprisoned in Drug War
Today President Barack Obama came close to doubling the number of people to whom his administration has extended clemency. The Department of Justice announced that 214 more people serving federal time in prison have been granted commutations. This announcement puts the total at 562.
Those receiving commuted sentences are all imprisoned for drug-related, non-violent crimes. Many of them are in federal prison for enhanced sentences related to crack instead of powder cocaine. Legislation has changed the sentencing laws so that crack sentences are now closer to parity with powder cocaine sentences, but the changes have not yet been made retroactive to those currently serving prison time.
Of the people receiving commutations, BuzzFeed notes, 67 were serving life sentences. Not all of those granted commutations will be released in the near future. A lot of them have been scheduled to be released in December, but others will have to continue serving until summer of 2018 and may have to enroll in residential drug treatment programs as a condition of release.
