Yesterday, the Department of Justice announced that President Obama commuted the sentences of 22 federal prisoners, eight of whom were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison. These commutations are in line with the administration’s criteria for reviewing certain clemency petitions.
Courtesy of the Clemency Project, the administration’s criteria to apply for the new clemency policy require the applicant to:
- be serving a federal sentence;
- be serving a sentence that, if imposed today, would be substantially shorter;
- have a non-violent history with no significant ties to organized crime, gangs or cartels;
- have served at least 10 years;
- have no significant prior convictions; and
- have demonstrated good conduct in prison.
Of course, these commutations are a welcomed development. But there are potentially thousands of inmates eligible under these criteria, as well as many others who have paid more than enough for their past misdeeds. Yesterday’s action doubled the number of granted petitions during Obama’s presidency, but these grants are not nearly enough.
Governors in the 50 states should institute their own clemency initiatives. Most of America’s incarcerated population is under state jurisdiction. The states house many more prisoners that should be brought back into society instead of serving draconian prison sentences.
Kudos to the Clemency Project’s member organizations and 1,500 attorneys working pro bono to bring these and the many other inmates home. And congratulations to those 22 individuals who can be reunited with their friends and families as they look to rebuild their lives and rejoin society.
In a new Why Liberty? video released today, Families Against Mandatory Minimums’ founder (and Cato alumna) Julie Stewart talks about why she started her organization and the work that still needs to be done in sentencing reform.
