Obama to visit federal prison in Oklahoma on Thursday

President Obama will visit a federal prison in Oklahoma on Thursday, the White House confirmed Friday, as part of his intensified push to overhaul the nation's criminal justice system. The trip will be "the first visit by a sitting president to a federal prison," White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at the daily briefing, adding that it will come after Obama "will lay out his ideas" Tuesday for how to overhaul the country's sentencing rules.

Obama, who views sentencing reform as one of the remaining areas where he may be able to forge a bipartisan compromise before leaving office, will visit El Reno, a medium security prison in El Reno, Okla. Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Charles E. Samuels Jr., who recently announced he will retire by the end of the year, is expected to accompany him. While at the prison Obama will participate in an interview with VICE as part of the outlet's special on the criminal justice system.

The visit will come just two days after Obama travels to Philadelphia, where he is addressing the NAACP's annual conference. The president will speak there about the need to overhaul sentencing guidelines for non-violent offenses that have kept many men and women of color in prison for decades. Obama is also likely to commute the sentences of dozens of non-violent offenders next week, according to individuals familiar with the decision. In March, the president commuted the sentences of 22 drug offenders, the largest number of commutations he had granted since taking office.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/07/10/obama-to-visit-federal-prison-in-oklahoma-on-thursday/