President Obama on Thursday commuted the sentences of 98 inmates who were imprisoned for a range of offenses, including drug and firearms-related crimes.
The announcement by the White House brings Obama’s 2016 total to 688, the most commutations ever granted by a president in a single year. Obama has strongly pushed for criminal justice reform in his second presidential term, however, Congress has yet to pass any legislation.
“In this year alone, the president has commuted the sentences of 688 deserving individuals — more than the previous 11 presidents combined — and the most ever done by a president in a single year,” said White House counsel Neil Eggleston in a blog post.
Of the inmates, 42 were serving time for firearms charges. Thirty-seven were serving life sentences, mostly for drug-related offenses. Most of the prisoners had been convicted of nonviolent drug crimes, often involving cocaine or methamphetamine.
The president has shortened the sentences of 872 inmates, more than any other president in nearly 50 years. Before Thursday’s announcement, Obama commuted the sentences of 102 inmates in October.
