President Obama Ends Year on High Note, Commutes Sentences in Crack Cocaine Cases

Good job.

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Putting good sense to use, President Obama commuted the sentences of eight federal prisoners serving long sentences on drug charges, reasoning that the justice system had levied harsher sentences for crack cocaine than it did for its powdered form. In addition, Obama also pardoned additional convicts for assorted crimes. 

Time adds that Obama said he would apply new sentencing guidelines to the eight convicts, six of whom will be released by Apr. 17. The president said that under current law, "many of them would have already served their time and paid their debt to society." 

President Obama provided further rationalization in a statement: 

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Over the summer, Attorney General Eric Holder announced new sentencing guidelines that were already applied to pending cases. This new decision is the first to apply to current inmates. 

[via NPR and Time]

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