Trump Slams 'Very Unfair' Drug Sentences
The president's comments could improve the prospects for federal penal reform.
The president's comments could improve the prospects for federal penal reform.
Alice Marie Johnson's life sentence for a first-time drug offense was commuted by Trump. Now she's speaking out against mandatory minimums.
Commutations for people serving absurdly long sentences would be a great new way to torture the attorney general.
Leave it to Kim Kardashian West to secure freedom for a prisoner of the drug war (seriously, she's good at it).
Barbara Underwood is outraged by the president's use of his clemency power, and she wants state legislators to do something about it.
The reality superstar will meet with Trump to push for clemency today for a great-grandmother serving a life sentence for a drug offense.
Presidential pardons were a depressing crapshoot long before Arpaio received one.
The president admires strong men who break the law to enforce it.
On his last day in office, Obama commuted the sentences of 330 inmates. For one of those prisoners, it was a bitter day.
Trump should not take his criminal justice cues from his attorney general.
Donald Trump and his attorney general take a dim view of Obama's mercy.
The president has now shortened more sentences than any of his predecessors.
How to dodge responsibility, whether you're a candidate or a cop.
Obama has not issued more pardons and commutations than any other president or the most in a single day.
Cheryl Howard received life in prison for crack cocaine. On Monday, her daughter found out she is coming home.
Fears that a Trump administration will not be as merciful.
Bipartisan sentencing reforms and falling crime rates have played a much bigger role than commutations or DOJ policy.
Another 79 granted mercy over federal drug war sentences.
With time running out on the Obama White House, activists and family members of current inmates fear the door on clemency is about to slam shut.
Donald Graham got one year for each of the two drug offenses he committed as a teenager, then life at 30.
Today, 72 federal drug war prisoners get sentences reduced.
He could still surpass Nixon in percentage of petitions granted.
Commutations and reforms can only ameliorate the inherent injustice of prohibition.
The president has granted 774 commutations so far, 97 percent of them in the second half of his second term.
The president might even surpass Richard Nixon's commutation rate.
In raw numbers, the president has far surpassed his recent predecessors, but his petition approval rate is only middling.
Justice Department still expects more before presidency ends.
The slowness and disorganization of the clemency process put in place has stranded many of the prisoners and families it was supposed to help.
The young father of three got 55 years for three small-time pot sales.
Total for administration reaches 348, but hundreds more may still qualify.
Only 4 percent of cases reviewed by volunteer lawyers have made the cut so far.
Nixon's commutation rate was more than four times as high.
The deadline is rapidly approaching for federal prisoners to request mercy.
Obama has granted about 1 percent of commutation petitions, compared to Nixon's 7 percent.
A big backlog of prisoners seeking shorter sentences has gotten a lot bigger.
If Obama means what he says about unjust punishment, he will free Weldon Angelos.
Obama's commutation record looks good in absolute numbers but paltry as a percentage of petitions.
After 21 years behind bars, a nonviolent drug offender gets parole.
He emphasizes the importance of making shorter sentences retroactive.
According to John Walters, all drug offenders are violent.
The president can do much more to correct unjust sentences, but time is running out.
The president joins the Kentucky senator in calling for sentencing reform.
This is a promising and positive step in the right direction, but real reform is still needed.
If correcting clear injustices is the aim, Obama can do a lot more.
After 21 years in prison, Jeff Mizanskey is eligible for parole.
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