Obama commutes lengthy sentences in eight drug cases, pardons 12 others
President Obama on Wednesday commuted the prison terms of eight federal inmates and pardoned 12 others.
The commutations were for inmates sentenced to long prison terms for drug crimes, Politico reports. Some of the inmates would have received shorter sentences under a law passed in 2010 that reduced disparities in sentences for crack and powder cocaine, an anonymous White House official told Politico.
Criteria for the commutations require the prisoners to have a nonviolent history, a good conduct record in prison, and to have served at least 10 years, according to a press release by the Clemency Project 2014. The prisoners also must be serving a prison sentence that would be substantially shorter if imposed today.
The pardoned inmates had served prison time or probation long ago, Politico says. Their crimes included operating an illegal liquor still, counterfeiting, filing a false tax return, wire fraud and drug offenses. A government press release has more information.
Cynthia Roseberry, project manager for Clemency Project 2014, applauded the commutations. “We commend President Obama for keeping his promise to provide relief for federal prisoners serving excessively long sentences; terms of imprisonment they would not receive if sentenced today,” Roseberry said in the press release. “Federal sentencing laws and policies have changed, and the country has changed, but thousands of federal prisoners remain incarcerated under antiquated laws and ways of thinking about crime. We urge the President to commute more of the unjust sentences faced by federal prisoners.”
The press release describes Clemency Project 2014 as a group that includes the American Bar Association, the Federal Defenders, the American Civil Liberties Union, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the national Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and individuals within those organizations. The Clemency Project 2014 was formed after the Obama administration sought pro bono assistance for federal prisoners who would have received shorter sentences under the law as it exists today.