President Grants Commutations to 209 Federal Prisoners

January 17, 2017 6:15 pm

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WASHINGTON 鈥擯resident Obama today announced 209 grants of commutation, bringing the total number in his eight years in office to 1,385. The recipients include 老澳门开奖结果 client Chelsea Manning. Of the 209 commutations, 109 were granted to people serving life without parole.

Robert Booker had no criminal history when he was sentenced to life without parole for a nonviolent drug offense. The 老澳门开奖结果 featured Booker in 鈥A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses.鈥

鈥淚 was sentenced to death, not life, if you ask me,鈥 Booker said in his 2013 interview for the report. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e just waiting until that day you die.鈥 Booker has been in federal prison since 1995. His four children have grown up without him, and he has never met his grandchildren.

鈥淭oday President Obama gave hope to 209 prisoners serving sentences that are far too long for their offenses,鈥 said Jennifer Turner, author of 鈥淎 Living Death鈥 and principal human rights researcher for the 老澳门开奖结果. 鈥淭he president has made it possible for them to rebuild lives that have been devastated by the failed war on drugs.鈥

鈥淧resident Obama has again used commutation to reunite families. We are grateful to President Obama, and we are hopeful for more commutations in his final days in office,鈥 said Cynthia W. Roseberry, project manager for Clemency Project 2014, which includes the 老澳门开奖结果 and four other organizations.

Of today鈥檚 209 grants, 100 were in cases supported by Clemency Project 2014. Of President Obama鈥檚 1,385 total grants, the project supported 705.

For 鈥淎 Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses,鈥 visit:

/report/living-death-life-without-parole-nonviolent-offenses

For more information about Clemency Project 2014, visit:

For more information about the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 Criminal Law Reform Project, visit:

/issues/criminal-law-reform

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