President Barack Obama on Wednesday commuted the sentences of 214 federal inmates, 67 of them serving life sentences – taking his total commutations granted to 562, 197 of which were life sentences.
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That’s more than the last nine presidents combined and the most in a century.
White House counsel Neil Eggleston says Obama will continue granting clemency to more inmates during the final months of his presidency.
President Obama shortened 214 federal prison sentences Wednesday as part of his ongoing push for sentencing reform.
Commute is different from pardoning someone for a crime – in that the criminal offence is still recognised but offenders do not serve all or any of their sentence.
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts); felon in possession of a firearm; possession of an unregistered firearm (two counts); Northern District of Texas. Chester expressed gratitude to Obama for “believing in me enough to give me that second chance…”
The Austin case involved Jamel Washington, 44, who was sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison in 2005 for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“Today’s historic announcement is yet another step in the administration’s efforts to restore proportionality to unnecessarily long drug sentences”. The sentence was increased to 292 months or more than 24 years in January 2004.
His sentence was the oldest, according to the DOJ, and will expire on December 1.
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Brown was convicted in U.S. Central District Court in IL of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and received a 20-year prison sentence.
