President Obama Pardons Dozens of Drug Offenders, Incuding Some Serving Life Sentences
(Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
President Obama today granted clemency to 61 individuals serving federal prison sentences for drug-related offenses, with more than a third in prison serving life sentences.
These 61 pardons brings the total number of sentences President Obama has commuted to 248, more than the past six presidents combined. In total, he’s commuted 92 life sentences.
The President today is meeting with commutation recipients from both his Administration and the previous administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Tomorrow the White House is hosting a briefing titled Life After Clemency with advocates, academics, and Administration officials to discuss and share ideas on the President’s clemency initiative and ways to improve paths to reentry. To watch the briefing live, tune in tomorrow, Thursday, March 31, at 2:00 PM EDT at www.whitehouse.gov/live.
The Washington Post has a list of all 61 individuals whose sentences were commuted which can be found by clicking here.