President Barack Obama commutes sentences of 214 inmates; 30 are from Florida


  • By
  • | 12:00 p.m. August 4, 2016
  • | 5 Free Articles Remaining!
President Barack Obama
President Barack Obama
  • Government
  • Share

Focused on people convicted of non-violent drug crimes, President Barack Obama on Wednesday commuted sentences for 214 federal inmates, including 30 from Florida.

The commutations involved inmates from throughout Florida, stretching from Pensacola to Miami. None are from Jacksonville.

RELATED: The list of 214 inmates who received commuted sentences. 

In many cases, they had been convicted on cocaine-related offenses, according to a list released by the White House.

Obama has commuted the sentences of 562 people across the country — more than the past nine presidents combined, White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said in a blog.

Also, the 214 commutations Wednesday were the most in a single day since at least 1900.

“In 2014, the president set out to make meaningful changes to this country’s approach to clemency,” the blog post said. “To spotlight instances of over-sentencing in our prisons, the president directed the Department of Justice … to prioritize petitions for commutations from individuals convicted of non-violent drug offenses who were serving longer sentences than they would be given today if convicted of the same crime.”

 

Sponsored Content

×

Special Offer: $5 for 2 Months!

Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.