President Barack Obama made an announcement on Monday he has devised a plan to commute the sentences of 46 prisoners who were arrested for drug offenses, according to Vice News.
Of the 46 prisoners, 14 are serving sentences of life without parole for nonviolent crimes, and they will be freed. Obama stated in a video released by the White House he didn’t believe the punishments for the crimes they were convicted for were equal.
According to reports, the United States Sentencing Commission collectively voted in 2014 to reduce penalties for drug offenders, in addition to enacting the the rules retroactively, which would result in 50,000 federal inmates potentially being granted shorter sentences.
For many years advocates of civil liberties have pushed to end the war on drugs, which was declared by President Richard Nixon in 1971 and intensified in the 1980’s as a result of the hysteria caused by the rise of crack cocaine.
“These men and women were not hardened criminals. But the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years,” said Obama in the video released Monday. “If they’ve been sentenced under today’s laws, nearly all of them would have served their time”
The Department of Justice stated the clemency applications will be evaluated based on the inmate’s behavior during their time in prison, criminal history, if their drug offenses were gang or cartel-related, and if their sentence would be significantly reduced if convicted based on today’s laws.
In response to Obama’s belief that “America is a nation of second chances,” Obama has promised to reform the criminal justice system.
In March Obama commuted sentences for 22 prisoners who were serving time for drug crimes, and in total he has now issued nearly 90 commutations.
One of the prisoners who was granted clemency by Obama, Jerry Allen Bailey had been sentenced to 30 years in 1996 in relation to a crack cocaine conspiracy, is due to walk free from prison on November 20, 2015. In a letter published by the White House, Obama wrote to Bailey, “Thousands of individuals applied for commutation, and only a fraction were approved. I am granting your application because you have demonstrated the potential to turn your life around.”
This week Obama plans to visit El Reno prison located in Oklahoma to meet with prisoners, law enforcement officials, and prison staff. The planned visit will make Obama the first sitting United States president to visit a federal correctional facility.
What are your thoughts on drug offenders being granted commuted sentences? Do you think they deserve a second chance?
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The post A Second Shot at Life: President Obama Shortens Sentences for 46 Drug Offenders appeared first on Harbor Village Florida.
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