burnin1
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From marijuana.com
President Obama Commutes Record-Setting Number of Drug Sentences
By Duke London on August 4, 2016
President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 people yesterday, the most single-day commutations in the history of the United States.
President Obama visiting Federal Prison Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Most of the inmates President Obama granted clemency were serving unreasonably long sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. A large portion of the group was affected by the wildly disproportionate sentencing practices for crack and powder cocaine.
The substantial batch of commutations yesterday were part of a much larger effort by the President to correct what he, and many, believe to be decades of unbalanced drug policies and excessively harsh mandatory minimum sentencing. In a Facebook post on the matter, Obama explained, The more we understand the human stories behind this problem, the sooner we can start making real changes that keep our streets safe, break the cycle of incarceration in this country, and save taxpayers like you money.
The White House has released a complete list of all 214 inmates going home to their families earlier than expected here.
Groups like the Drug Policy Alliance have been urging President Obama to do just that, but they dont want him to stop there. Obama started his clemency initiative in 2014, and there are still a tremendous number of cases that could use a once-over from the POTUS. As of last month, there were almost 12,000 commutation petitions awaiting review. 1,500 of those are eligible for clemency under the Obama administrations own guidelines, according to St. Thomas University Law Professor Mark Osler.
While the commutations President Obama granted today are an important step forward, they remind us of how much more work this administration has to do if it is to grant relief for every person eligible, Osler added.
Michael Collins, the DPAs Deputy Director, echoed that request when addressing yesterdays clemencies, The President should be applauded for todays action, but as his term runs out he must step up the frequency and number of commutations. We also need Congress to Act. Paul Ryan has said that the House will vote on criminal justice reform when they return in September and Mitch McConnell must make the same commitment.
The President has the Constitutional right to issue clemency to prisoners in two ways; shortening a sentence via commutation as he did yesterday, or a full pardon, which gives the inmate complete legal forgiveness for their crime and their immediate release. Thirty-five of the 214 prisoners who had their sentences commuted yesterday wont be released until 2018.
Critics of the commutations argue that a full pardon would go further in helping these individuals. With the offenses still on their criminal record, it may prove difficult to reestablish certain parts of everyday life, such as finding work or voting.
White House counsel Neil Eggleston commented on the historic batch of clemency by President Obama, assuring those hoping for more drug enforcement reform, I expect the president will continue to grant clemency in a historic and inspiring fashion.
Eggleston wants to remind people that the arduous sentence commutation process isnt a feasible substitute for actual sentencing reform. Currently, each application for clemency must go through three tiers of attorneys at the Justice Department and White House before hitting the Oval Office desk.
The individual nature of the clemency process underscores both its incredible power to change a persons life, but also its inherent shortcoming as a tool for broader sentencing reform, Eggleston added. While we continue to work to act on as many clemency applications as possible, only legislation can bring about lasting change to the federal system.
A little over a year ago, President Obama became the first sitting US President to visit a federal prison. Obama wanted to bring awareness to the issue of sentencing reform, a problem that has plagued our Nation and ripped countless families apart. You can watch the statement he made from El Reno Federal Correctional Institution near Oklahoma City below. With a total of 562 sentences commuted, most of which he signed in the last year, Obama seems to be walking the walk.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hGZ7AMk39Q[/ame]
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/...utes-record-setting-number-of-drug-sentences/
President Obama Commutes Record-Setting Number of Drug Sentences
By Duke London on August 4, 2016
President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 214 people yesterday, the most single-day commutations in the history of the United States.
President Obama visiting Federal Prison Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Most of the inmates President Obama granted clemency were serving unreasonably long sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. A large portion of the group was affected by the wildly disproportionate sentencing practices for crack and powder cocaine.
The substantial batch of commutations yesterday were part of a much larger effort by the President to correct what he, and many, believe to be decades of unbalanced drug policies and excessively harsh mandatory minimum sentencing. In a Facebook post on the matter, Obama explained, The more we understand the human stories behind this problem, the sooner we can start making real changes that keep our streets safe, break the cycle of incarceration in this country, and save taxpayers like you money.
The White House has released a complete list of all 214 inmates going home to their families earlier than expected here.
Groups like the Drug Policy Alliance have been urging President Obama to do just that, but they dont want him to stop there. Obama started his clemency initiative in 2014, and there are still a tremendous number of cases that could use a once-over from the POTUS. As of last month, there were almost 12,000 commutation petitions awaiting review. 1,500 of those are eligible for clemency under the Obama administrations own guidelines, according to St. Thomas University Law Professor Mark Osler.
While the commutations President Obama granted today are an important step forward, they remind us of how much more work this administration has to do if it is to grant relief for every person eligible, Osler added.
Michael Collins, the DPAs Deputy Director, echoed that request when addressing yesterdays clemencies, The President should be applauded for todays action, but as his term runs out he must step up the frequency and number of commutations. We also need Congress to Act. Paul Ryan has said that the House will vote on criminal justice reform when they return in September and Mitch McConnell must make the same commitment.
The President has the Constitutional right to issue clemency to prisoners in two ways; shortening a sentence via commutation as he did yesterday, or a full pardon, which gives the inmate complete legal forgiveness for their crime and their immediate release. Thirty-five of the 214 prisoners who had their sentences commuted yesterday wont be released until 2018.
Critics of the commutations argue that a full pardon would go further in helping these individuals. With the offenses still on their criminal record, it may prove difficult to reestablish certain parts of everyday life, such as finding work or voting.
White House counsel Neil Eggleston commented on the historic batch of clemency by President Obama, assuring those hoping for more drug enforcement reform, I expect the president will continue to grant clemency in a historic and inspiring fashion.
Eggleston wants to remind people that the arduous sentence commutation process isnt a feasible substitute for actual sentencing reform. Currently, each application for clemency must go through three tiers of attorneys at the Justice Department and White House before hitting the Oval Office desk.
The individual nature of the clemency process underscores both its incredible power to change a persons life, but also its inherent shortcoming as a tool for broader sentencing reform, Eggleston added. While we continue to work to act on as many clemency applications as possible, only legislation can bring about lasting change to the federal system.
A little over a year ago, President Obama became the first sitting US President to visit a federal prison. Obama wanted to bring awareness to the issue of sentencing reform, a problem that has plagued our Nation and ripped countless families apart. You can watch the statement he made from El Reno Federal Correctional Institution near Oklahoma City below. With a total of 562 sentences commuted, most of which he signed in the last year, Obama seems to be walking the walk.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hGZ7AMk39Q[/ame]
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/...utes-record-setting-number-of-drug-sentences/
