President Obama Plans to Release Hundreds, Perhaps Thousands of Inmates Jailed for Drug Offenses Early
The Obama administration has announced that it will be actively encouraging prisoners serving sentences for drug offenses to 
apply for clemency – with the goal of releasing hundreds, if not thousands, of inmates early.
White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler spoke about the presidential plans to grant wide-spread clemency at New York University’s law school last Tuesday, indicating that the Obama administration is officially recognizing the harms associated with the war on drugs, and more specifically, the war on low-level drug offenders.
“The president believes that one important purpose can be to help correct the effects of outdated and overly harsh sentences that Congress and the American people have since recognized are no longer in the best interests of justice,” said Ruemmler. “This effort also reflects the reality that our overburdened federal prison population includes many low-level, nonviolent offenders without significant criminal histories.”
President Obama has instructed the Justice Department to improve its clemency recommendation process, in order to facilitate the massive increase of clemency petitions he plans to sign before leaving office. Officials are preparing for the updated petition approval process, as well as upcoming personnel adjustments – including the expected resignation of current Pardon Attorney Ronald Rodgers, who has been accused of mishandling clemency requests in the past.
This major overhaul offers hope to thousands of inmates currently serving prison time for drug offenses, presenting them with the chance of early release that months ago would have seemed nothing more than a pipe dream. To date, President Obama has granted clemency to a total of just 10 people.
– TheJointBlog
Anonymous
aguante el porro
Jim Geesman
Anyone that’s ever been around marijuana has the potential to have been incarcerated for a long time. Most of us got lucky and never got caught. Others weren’t so lucky and it’s about time our “justice” system made corrections. The ambulance chasing brand of lawyers will jump on a restitution wagon and some will have a pretty good case.
Anonymous
What the he’ll they are kn prison for a reason leave thier ass there that’s what’s wrong with the world today!! Obama is a fucking idiot!!!
BEI
REALLY WHATS WRONG WITH THE FUCKING WORLD IS THAT PEOPLE ARE IN PRISON FOR SMOKING WEED OR CRACK OR METH OR EVEN SELLING DRUGS TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES AND ITS THE ONLY WAY THEY KNEW HOW AT THAT TIME THEY ARE GETTING 20-25 YRS FOR SOME BULL**IT WHILE MOTHER F*****S ARE OUT HERE RAPING OUR CHILDREN AND GETTING AWAY WITH A DAMN PROBATION FOR THEIR PUNISHMENT AND STILL OUT HERE GETTING AWAY WITH IT WHILE FAMILIES AND CHILDREN SUFFER FOR EVER U NEED TO STEP BACK AND CHECK UR DAMN SELF STEP OUTSIDE UR WORLD AND COME TO OURS ITS A GOOD THING PEOPLE IN FOR DRUGS DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY HAE NEVER EVER BEEN IN TROUBLE IN THEIR LIFE EXCEPT THIS ONE DRUG CHARGE TELL ME WHY THEY DONT DESERVE TO BE OUT HERE BULLS**T THEY NEED TO LET THEM OUT AND MAKE ROOM FOR THE SICK ASSES WHO ARE HURTING OUR CHILDREN AND DESTROYING FAMILIES AND MURDERS THEY DERSERVE TO BE BEHIND DAMN BARS YOU F****ING IDIOT
Patrick Ewing
Aman
Anonymous
right on–good info-well done,,peace
Anonymous
They are in there for growing weed!!!!! A fucking plant so if you think they should have there freedom and see there friends and faimly becuase of that then your the problem with this world so fuck you
DRIVERS
THIS IS ALL FINE AND GOOD EXCEPT ALOT OF THEM HAVE BEEN IN THERE A LONG TIME AND WITH ALL THE BUDGET CUTS HAVE HAD NO TRAINNING OF ANY TYPE OF WORK SO MY QUESTIONS ISWITH OUR ECONOMY THE WAY IT IS WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO. THEY NEED TO CREATE MORE JOBS FIRST THEN RELEASE THEM GIVINBG THEM AN OPTION TO WORK
QuantumVirus
are you serious? wait until there are jobs to release non violent drug offenders?
are you just stupid?
Shelbywoo
Easy. When it’s legalized , you will see a job boom like never before! Go with what ya know!
BEI
NON VIOLENT DRUG OFFENDERS I KNOW QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WHO ARE IN FOR DRUGS AND WHO ARE NOT VIOLENT AND THERE ARE SO MANY JOBS BEING CREATED DID U KNOW IN THE MONTH OF APRIL 288,000 JOBS WERE CREATED AND THAT BROUGHT THE UNEMPLOYMENT TO DOWN TO 6.3 % I THINK IT WAS SO HELL YEA OBAMA IS TRYING TO PICK UP THE MESS ALL THE OTHER IDIOTS CREATED PLUS HELP HIS PEOPLE TODAY SO HE DOING RIGHT, AND OBVIOUSLY U IDIOT WHATEVER UR TALKING BOUT NON VIOLENT OFFENSES HOW MANY PEOPLE HONESTLY HAVE U HEARD OF KNOW READ ABOUT GETTING TOSSED IN FOR VIOLENCE DUE TO DRUGS VIOLENCE COULD BE LOOKED AT IN DIFFERENT VIEWS OF EVERYONE BUT MOST NORMAL PEOPLE THINK OF VIOLENCE AS ,MURDERS BABY MOLESTERS, SICK CHILD PORN FREAKS HURTING OURCHILDREN, RAPING WOMEN, KILLING SOMEONE IN GENERAL FIGHTING IS VIOLENCE DRINKING AND DRIVING IS WAY WORSE THAN SOMEONE WITH A DRUG CHARGE, U HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF KILLING OR HURTING OTHERS AND CHILDREN OR EVEN KILLING THEM IMMEDIATELY BUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE DRUG CHARGES HAVE A THING CALLED RESPECT FOR OTHERS BELIEVE IT OR NOT THEY DONT HARM CHILDREN THATS FOR SURE HOW MANY CRIMINALS WITH DRUGS CHARGES ALSO GOT CHARGED FOR MOLESTING A CHILD OR MURDERING A CHILD ALOT LESS THAN MOST WHO DESERVE TO BE IN THERE AND CANT GET THEIR BECAUSE OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM IS SO MESSED UP THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THEM TO GET THEIR ASSES THEIR ITS CALLED OVER POPULATED PRISONS NOT ENOUGH FUNDS TO BUILD MORE SO LETS JUST LET THESE SICK FREAKS STAY FREE WHILE THESE OTHERS ARE IN THEIR FOR 20-LIFE FOR DRUGS WHERE THEY CAN COME BACK OUT DO RIGHT WORK LIVE RIGHT BY SOCIETY WHILE THEM OTHERS GET OUT IF THEY GO N NOT EVEN THREE MONTHLATER OUT MOLESTING CHILDREN AGAIN OR SOME SICK SH** SO THINK BOUT IT WHEN U SAY NON VIOLENT OFFENSES
clubfoot58
yea they need too start relasing all marijuana charges the plant was our new jobs and renewal fuel source when we run out of petrolem people will have too fram the animals for fur again and grow canibus for heat ,eats ,medicine, fiber glass replacment. ect there are so many new jobs just by making marijuana anews cash crop. the fucking goverment is so wrong for ever outlawing it in the frist place and owe the world free medical from using petrolem in the frist place!!
Me
So happy for all the inmates who will finally find peace in this decision. Their is a lot of great people incarcerated who are ready for a new clean slate and chance in life. God bless America
BEI
I KNOW I AGREE WITH U A HUNDRED PERCENT I AM SO EXCITED I JUST HOPE IF THEY ARE RELEASED MY BEST FRIEND IS ONE OF THEM HE IS ONE DUDE WHO DONT DESERVE TO BE IN THEIR HE NEVER ROBBED STOLE OR HURT ANYONE HE GAVE THE WORLD TO WHOEVER WHENEVER THEY NEEDED IT HE WOULD STOP IN HIS TRACKS TO GO OUT OF HIS WAY TO HELP ANYONE HE COULD HE IS THE TRUE DEFINITION OF LOYAL HE DONT BELIEVE IN HATERED TOWARDS OTHERS HE HAS NEVER EVEN SAID THE WORD HATE EVER IN HIS LIFE NEVER JUDGES OR NEVER HAS JUDGED ANYONE HE HAS NEVER TALKED SHIT BOUT ANYONE TO ANYONE HE IS A MAN OF HIS WORD AND HE WAS ONLY DOING WHAT HE KNEW HOW SINCE HE WAS YOUNG AND NOW HE GOT 199 MONTHS AND HE ONLY 32 HE HAS NO PRIOR CONVICTIONS NEVER BEEN IN TROUBLE EVER WELL DRIVING ON SUSPENDED LICENSE BUT OTHER THAN THAT HAS NEVER BEEN IN TROUBLE AND THEY GAVE HIM ALL THEM YEARS WHILE 3 MONTHS LATER READ BOUT SOME GIRL DROWNING HER KIDS IN THE TUB AND GOT OFF WITH PROBATION FOR 5 YEARS NOW U TELL ME WHO THE HELL IS MESSED UP. BUT YEA RELEASE THEM !!!!!!
Anonymous
The people posting here have brains the size of walnuts.
Truman
@Drivers, this isn’t an economic issue, it’s an issue of cruel and unusual punishment and personal freedom. If you were in jail you would not give a flying fuck about the state of the economy. “No I’m going to stay in jail for a while till the economy gets better” Said no prisoner ever. Not to mention you don’t stay in jail for free, those people get charged everyday they’re in there.
Anonymous
What about clemency for Leonard Peltier!