Obama commutes sentences of 98 inmates
Click here for reuse options!It was Obama’s eighth round of commutations this year, bringing him to a total of 872 since taking office — more than the past 11 presidents combined. He’s commuted the sentences of 688 inmates this year alone.
Obama has eclipsed Calvin Coolidge, who commuted 773 sentences, but has yet to beat Woodrow Wilson, who holds the record with 1,366 commutations, according to P.S. Ruckman Jr., a political scientist tracking the data.
“While there has been much attention paid to the number of commutations issued by the President, at the core, we must remember that there are personal stories behind these numbers,” White House counsel Neil Eggleston wrote in a blog post.
“These are individuals – many of whom made mistakes at a young age – who have diligently worked to rehabilitate themselves while incarcerated.”
The batch included 42 inmates serving life sentences. Many will not be released until late 2018 and will have to enroll in residential drug treatment programs.
The latest round of commutations is part of Obama’s effort to free prisoners serving lengthy sentences handed down during the government’s war on drugs.
Copyright 2016 Liberaland
7 responses to Obama commutes sentences of 98 inmates
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KABoink_after_wingnut_hacker October 27th, 2016 at 17:03
The war on drugs was the most inhumane and corporate prison boondoggle in my lifetime.
Civilized nations send youth drug offenders into rehab, we sent thousands of kids to prisons to learn to become criminals.
Just another total failure of Reagan’s administration with clear racist intentions of incarcerating blacks and brown people.
Bunya October 28th, 2016 at 14:35
Reagan was just another racist posing as a “fine, upstanding chrischun”. I know it’s unkind to speak ill of the dead, but he was trash.
KABoink_after_wingnut_hacker October 29th, 2016 at 05:29
Agreed.
And the ignorant trash we are forced to deal with today is mobilized by his racist and warped legacy republicans want to remember.
whatthe46 October 27th, 2016 at 17:40
AWESOME.
https://twitter.com/HuffingtonPost/status/791717269692874752
Larry Schmitt October 27th, 2016 at 17:54
Bet Laura Bush can’t do that.
whatthe46 October 27th, 2016 at 18:14
i love this every time i see it. this was today at Hillary’s rally. she spoke as well. this was after something Hillary said.
Gary Parillo October 28th, 2016 at 15:05
Something I do not understand.He will release prisoners who were given long unjust sentences because of this counterproductive unconstitutional idiotic drug war,yet he will not end the damn drug war.As he releases some,others are still being put in filthy cages for doing nothing other than ingesting substances that our “free country” tells them they aren’t supposed to use.
Does that make any sense?Dont misunderstand, I like President O,but would like him much more so if he do what needs to be done,and end this unjust stupidity,especially when it comes to cannabis.It is my understanding that it is within his power to,with the stroke of his magic pen,relegalize a herb that most everyone these days supports.Until that is done,the system is still a revolving door of madness,some pardoned,as others lives continue to be turned upside down for committing a crime that should have never been a crime.