Obama grants 79 more commutations to federal inmates, pushing the total past 1,000

President Obama granted commutations Tuesday to 79 federal drug offenders who were imprisoned under harsh and outdated sentencing laws, pushing to more than 1,000 the number of inmates who have received clemency from him.

Obama’s historic number of commutations — more than the previous 11 presidents combined — was announced as administration officials are moving quickly to rule on all the pending clemency applications before the end of the president’s term. The Trump administration is not expected to keep in place Obama’s initiative to provide relief to nonviolent drug offenders.

About a third of the 1,023 inmates who have been granted clemency, 342 prisoners, were serving life sentences for their ­offenses.

“The President’s gracious act of mercy today with his latest round of commutations is encouraging,” said Brittany Byrd, a Texas attorney who has represented several inmates who have received clemency since Obama’s initiative began in 2014.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-grants-79-more-commutations-to-federal-inmates-pushing-the-total-past-1000/2016/11/22/1c7b5710-b0db-11e6-840f-e3ebab6bcdd3_story.html?wpisrc=al_alert-COMBO-politics%252Bnation