Obama Commutes Sentences of Eight Drug Offenders, Grants 12 Pardons - East Idaho News
News

Obama Commutes Sentences of Eight Drug Offenders, Grants 12 Pardons

  Published at

WhiteHouse 091814 Obama1?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1418879145235Credit: The White House(WASHINGTON) — President Obama on Wednesday commuted the sentences of eight individuals and granted pardons to 12 more.

According to the Department of Justice, the eight people whose sentences Obama shortened had been convicted of drug charges. Each of their sentences, scheduled to last until at least 2019, will now expire in either April or June of 2015.

Obama also pardoned 12 people who had been convicted on charges that included running an illegal distillery, theft of bank funds and wire fraud, among others.

Two of those pardoned were from Obama’s home state of Illinois.

Deputy Attorney General James Cole said Wednesday that Obama’s actions in commuting the sentences of the eight individuals provided clemency to “eight individuals who were sentenced under outdated and unfair laws.”

“While all eight were properly held accountable for their criminal actions, their punishments did not fit their crimes,” Cole said, “and sentencing laws and policies have since been updated to ensure more fairness for low-level offenders.”


Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION