Obama commutes sentences of 42 prisoners

President Obama has been fast on the move to commute sentences for prisoners convicted of drug offenses.

The other day he continued his agenda and did 42 more.

So far, Obama has commuted 348 and that's more than the past several presidents combined.

We all know the sentences were probably to harsh, but is Obama over doing it a little?

Perhaps, perhaps not.

The general idea is to determine if the "offenders" were non-violent when committing the crimes.

Obama commutes sentences of 42 prisoners

President Obama on Friday commuted the sentences of 42 inmates, as he accelerates his effort to free prisoners burdened with lengthy sentences in the government’s war on drugs.

Nearly half were granted to people serving life sentences, mostly for convictions related to crack or coc aine possession and distribution.

Most will be released on Oct. 1, but some will be freed next June.

Obama has issued 348 commutations during his time in office, more than the previous seven presidents combined, according to the White House. Among those freed include 130 who were serving life sentences.

a reply to: xuenchen

No, he's not overdoing it. The cases of these folks have been examined, and prison professional staff examined to see how they are doing, and their release has not been taken lightly or on a whim. It takes months sometimes to determine who is the best suited to be released, and who is at less risk for reoffending.

It's time these kids (many of them) are given another chance, and released from these overly punitive sentences. Our prisons are overflowing now with kids who have been sentenced for simple possession, which is grossly unfair as possession of certain substances is now legal in some states.

From an older article:

But even as he exercises authority more assertively than any of his modern predecessors, Mr. Obama has only begun to tackle the problem he has identified. In the next weeks, the total number of commutations for Mr. Obama’s presidency may surpass 80, but more than 30,000 federal inmates have come forward in response to his administration’s call for clemency applications. A cumbersome review process has advanced only a small fraction of them. And just a small fraction of those have reached the president’s desk for a signature.

“I think they honestly want to address some of the people who have been oversentenced in the last 30 years,” said Julie Stewart, the founder and president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a group advocating changes in sentencing. “I’m not sure they envisioned that it would be as complicated as it is, but it has become more complicated, whether it needs to be or not, and that’s what bogged down the process".

www.nytimes.com...

a reply to: xuenchen

This just goes to show that even a crappy, idiotic president does something right every once in a while.

I think there are too many laws that assault the regular people in the US.

a reply to: xuenchen

Over doing it? Jesus, can't you give the guy a little credit ever? I get you're a die hard conservative but you have to admit we have way to many people in prison, like the most in the world per capita, and that's all thanks to mandatory minimums used to fight the bogus and failed war on drugs.

No???

a reply to: xuenchen

Think Trump will commute Obama and Hillary when asked to?

a reply to: xuenchen

The general idea is to determine if the "offenders" were non-violent when committing the crimes.

I thought it was traditional for presidents nearing the end of term to commute some prisoners sentences.
They take down whole nations but commute a few people 'back on the farm'.

Meanwhile, the next in line are getting their photos taken kissing babies.

Awww, see what nice guys they were, after all.

originally posted by: NewzNose
a reply to: xuenchen

Think Trump will commute Obama and Hillary when asked to?

Why not, Ford pardoned Nixon.

They all cover for each other.

Here's a list ..... and the conditions

Commutations Granted by President Barack Obama (2009-2016)

So when is he gonna pardon gun owners ?

Ya know those people in prison just for merely having a weapon. and didn't do anything OTHER than having one in their possession.

Non violent.

WE are way past Brave New World people here.

With Obama and his party actively pushing drugs and letting people go.

I forget the name of that drug used on the masses to make them docile, and more conducive to state totalitarianism.

Not overdoing it whatsoever.

Every single person in prison for a nonviolent drug offense, ESPECIALLY POSSESSION, should have their sentences commuted and be released immediately.

Good on Obama for once, he should pick up the pace.

I have no problem with prison sentences of non-violent drug offenders being commuted.

That said, if they also have a history of other crime (property/person) I don't think they should.

originally posted by: neo96
So when is he gonna pardon gun owners ?

Ya know those people in prison just for merely having a weapon. and didn't do anything OTHER than having one in their possession.

Non violent.

WE are way past Brave New World people here.

With Obama and his party actively pushing drugs and letting people go.

I forget the name of that drug used on the masses to make them docile, and more conducive to state totalitarianism.

This is another thing I would like to see in many cases.

And in addition, if someone is a felon because they have a nonviolent offense, drugs or many other possible reasons, they probably shouldn't lose their right to bear arms either.

a reply to: atomish

Well that's pretty low on O's list of things to do.

He's too busy, His party is too busy demagoguing them, and trying to ban them.

a reply to: xuenchen

Unless there was a crime against person or property then commute away. I don't consider statute violations to be real crimes anyway. Screw the Government and good on Obama for doing the right thing for once.

originally posted by: TorqueyThePig
That said, if they also have a history of other crime (property/person) I don't think they should.

Yes, this is a reasonable I'd say. Their history should definitely be reviewed during the commutation process.

Also, I believe I have noted from other posts of yours that you are or were an LEO? If that is the case, I would just like to thank you for holding the common sense position that you do. Always nice to meet one of the good ones and I've met quite a few of the good ones in recent years.

do you think his list is diverse? making sure every group gets a little off the top...

I would love to see a web site started that follows these people, so we can see how many end up back in jail ,and for what, and how many life free and die happy.

That would be great data to make decisions going forward

originally posted by: thinline
do you think his list is diverse? making sure every group gets a little off the top...

I would love to see a web site started that follows these people, so we can see how many end up back in jail ,and for what, and how many life free and die happy.

That would be great data to make decisions going forward

I'd be interested to see that as well.

Unfortunately, many of the people that are in there are in there due to a public health issue (addiction) where, while inside, they may kick the habit but receive piss poor counseling on average. If possesion of an addict's drug of choice is a criminal offense, then without rehabilitation that person is very likely to reoffend.

Drug courts also proliferate this issue and even push non-addicted users into the system where they can end up locked up for consuming a substance.

In general, prisoners are really set up to fail from the moment they step outside those gates as free men and women again. Many have lost their support systems and are now stifled at every turn by limited opportunity. We need to be setting these people up for success.

We shouldn't be locking most of them up to begin with...

Its the daily threads like these and some of the replies that remind me that propaganda and lies is a big part of the right wing nuts, obama might be a bad president but the way some poster act he is the anti christ.

Commutte away, if there in jail mainly for selling weed get them all out now, any violence or theft of property, keep them in.

a reply to: xuenchen

We all know the sentences were probably to harsh, but is Obama over doing it a little?

Perhaps, perhaps not.

It's estimated that there's roughly 2+ million people currently incarcerated in the US.


If commuting 348 people out of 2 million is considered "over doing it a little".... then I just don't know what to tell ya friend.

The"Drug War"is an even bigger fiasco than Prohibition had been.Billions of dollars and countless lives ruined for being caught with party favors.The punishment is medieval yet we live in the 21st century.Lose the useless DEA and use their funded billions for something else.