Obama commutes the sentences of a record number of inmates

President Obama granted clemency to a record 214 inmates on Wednesday, far surpassing his previous single-day record, as part of an ongoing effort to release federal inmates serving prison terms deemed to be unduly harsh.

To date, Obama has commuted the sentences of 562 federal inmates, more than the previous nine presidents combined. 

The White House said in a statement that the president will continue commuting the sentences of inmates through his remaining months in office.

�Today began like any other for 214 federal inmates across the country, but ultimately became a day I am confident they will never forget,� said Neil Eggleston, the White House counsel. 

The 214 inmates freed represents the most commutations in a single day since at least 1900, Eggleston said.

Typically, Obama has granted clemency to 40 or 50 inmates a month. In this case, 67 of the 214 inmates had been sentenced to life in prison. 

Almost all of those released from their sentences on Wednesday had been convicted of nonviolent drug crimes, according to the White House.

The White House said the large number of commutations underscores the need for broader criminal justice reform, which has some bipartisan support but has stalled in Congress.

�While we continue to work to act on as many clemency applications as possible, only legislation can bring about lasting change to the federal system,� Eggleston said. �It is critical that both the House and the Senate continue to work on a bipartisan basis to get a criminal justice reform bill to the President�s desk.�

Click here to read the full article (+ list of inmates)

Source: The Washington Post, Greg Jaffe, August 2016

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." - Oscar Wilde