Barack Obama has used the final day of his presidency of the United States to commute the sentences of 330 federal inmates convicted of drug crimes, attempting to address what he has described as a systematic injustice.
Obama had repeatedly implored Congress to reform sentencing laws, which often hand harsh and punitive sentences to those accused of drug offences. Thursday’s batch of commutations is more than has ever been issued in a single day by any U.S. president.
“He wanted to do it. He wanted the opportunity to look at as many as he could to provide relief,” said Neil Eggleston, Obama’s White House counsel. “He saw the injustice of the sentences that were imposed in many situations, and he has a strong view that people deserve a second chance.”
Proud to make this one of my final actions as President. America is a nation of second chances, and 1,715 people deserved that shot. https://t.co/4hPxG7hqHL
— President Obama (@POTUS) January 19, 2017
To be eligible for Obama’s initiative, inmates had to have demonstrated good behaviour in prison and already served 10 years. Some exceptions to the latter rule were granted.
This means that these sentences are reduced, but the crime remains on the individual’s record. Some are being released sooner than others, and many have conditions placed on their release.
Obama has granted a total of 1,715 commutations during his term, more than any U.S. president in history. This includes the commutation of Chelsea Manning‘s sentence announced earlier this week. Manning thanked Obama in a tweet earlier today:
Thank you @BarackObama for giving me a chance. =,)
— Chelsea Manning (@xychelsea) January 19, 2017
Obama defended his decision to commute Manning’s sentence in a press conference.
President Obama defends decision to commute Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence https://t.co/GPMDcwulnQ pic.twitter.com/rXhx83M7RL
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) January 19, 2017
Several high-profile inmates who applied for commutations or pardons were not quite so lucky. Obama did not grant commutations to Army deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is in prison for corruption.
Native American activist Leonard Peltier – who has long maintained his innocence in killing two FBI agents in a shooutout at South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975 – was also not granted clemency.
Regardless, it is likely that Obama’s last-minute actions towards mass clemency will be a remembered part of his presidency, especially given Trump‘s commitment to unwinding his other legislative achievements.
Source: AP.
Photo: Getty Images.
