Obama Commutes 58 More Drug Sentences
President Obama commuted 58 sentences today. 57 of the 58 inmates are drug offenders.
His statement is here. He called for Congress to reform unjust mandatory minimum sentences.
While I will continue to review clemency applications, only Congress can bring about the lasting changes we need to federal sentencing. That is why I am encouraged by the bipartisan efforts in Congress to reform federal sentencing laws, particularly on overly harsh mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. Because it just doesn’t make sense to require a nonviolent drug offender to serve 20 years, or in some cases, life, in prison. An excessive punishment like that doesn’t fit the crime. It’s not serving taxpayers, and it’s not making us safer.
This brings Obama's total number of commutations, to 306, which he says is more commutations than the last six presidents combined.
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