President Barack Obama on Monday commuted the sentences of 46 people convicted of nonviolent drug crimes.
"These men and women were not hard criminals," the president said in a video message. "Their punishment did not fit the crime."
He noted that 14 of them had been sentenced to life.
"I believe at its heart America is a nation of second chances, and I believe these folks deserve their second chance," he said.
Obama wrote each of the 46 people a personal letter to relay his decision. To Jerry Allen Bailey, serving 30 years for conspiracy to violate drug laws in North Carolina, a crack cocaine case, the president wrote: "I am granting your application because you have demonstrated the potential to turn your life around. Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity."
Obama also plans to address criminal justice reform in a speech Tuesday to the NAACP in Philadelphia.
The announcement brought the number of commutations issued by Obama to almost 90, mostly for nonviolent drug crimes, the White House said.
Source:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/obama-commutes-sentences-46-convicted-nonviolent-offenses-n391196?cid=eml_nbn_201507
No comments:
Post a Comment