Obama commutes sentences of 22 convicted drug offenders

President Obama commuted the sentences of 22 people convicted of drug crimes on Tuesday, underscoring his administration’s interest in correcting what many say are unfair sentences for nonviolent offenders.

“Because many were convicted under an outdated sentencing regime, they served years — in some cases more than a decade — longer than individuals convicted today of the same crime,” White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said in a blog post.

The majority of those who saw their sentences commuted were convicted of crimes involving different forms of cocaine. Others were sentenced for methamphetamine or marijuana-related charges, among other drug offenses.

{mosads}All but one of them will be released this summer.

“I am granting your application because you have demonstrated the potential to turn your life around,” Obama wrote in a letter to Terry Andre Barnes, who was convicted in 2005 of conspiracy to distribute cocaine base.

“Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity. It will not be easy, and you will confront many who doubt people with criminal records can change.”

The president has prioritized commuting the sentences of people who were convicted under harsher sentencing regimes than exist today.

Last year, the administration expanded the criteria for seeking clemency from the president. The change allowed people sentenced for crack cocaine violations before 2010, when a law lowered mandatory sentences, to apply for reduced prison time.

Many of those people were sentenced in the midst of the War on Drugs — which imposed harsh penalties for non-violent drug crimes. But instead of choking off the demand for illicit drugs, those policies led to wide racial disparities in sentencing and put many people who are not seen as public safety threats behind bars.

The Obama administration’s decision to more aggressively use his commutation power to address these disparities is indicative of a larger, bipartisan interest in criminal justice reforms.

Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) are among the supporters of a bill that would make changes to the mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes.

The White House has expressed an openness to other criminal law reforms as well.