Tag Archives: Pardon

Obama Pardons And Shortens Terms For 214 Prisoners; 67 Had Life Sentence

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US President Obama commuted the sentences of 214 federal prisoners Wednesday, the largest single-day grant of commutations in the nation’s history.  He has 562 total commutations during his presidency — most of which have come in the past year . Obama has now used his constitutional clemency power to shorten the sentences of more federal inmates than 9 past presidents combined.
The early release of the 214 prisoners, mostly low-level drug offenders and non violent offenders, is part of Obama’s effort to correct what he views as unreasonably long mandatory minimum sentences to those inmates. Some date back decades, including 71-year-old Richard L. Reser of Sedgwick, Kan., who was given a 40-year sentence for dealing methamphatamine and firearm possession in
1989. He’ll be released Dec. 1.

Obama said in a Facebook post:

“The more we understand the human stories behind this problem, the sooner we can start making real changes that keep our streets safe, break the cycle of incarceration in this country, and save taxpayers like you money,”

The president’s clemency power usually takes one of two forms: Pardons, which give offenders a full legal forgiveness for their crimes, and commutations, which shorten prison sentences but often leave other conditions intact. Many of those granted commutations Wednesday will remain under court supervision even after release.

He shared a letter he received from a prisoner he pardoned and wrote on FB:

few months ago, I received this letter from a Floridian named Sherman Chester.


 

When Sherman was a young man, he wrote, he made some bad choices, got in over his head, and ended up with a life sentence without parole for a nonviolent drug charge. At Sherman’s sentencing, even the judge couldn’t believe he was bound by law to hand down a punishment that didn’t fit the crime.

We know that Sherman…‘s story is all too common in this country — a country that imprisons its citizens at a rate far higher than any other. Too many men and women end up in a criminal justice system that serves up excessive punishments, especially for nonviolent drug offenses.

But this is a country that believes in second chances. So we’ve got to make sure that our criminal justice system works for everyone. We’ve got to make sure that it keeps our streets safe while also making sure that an entire class of people like Sherman isn’t relegated to a life on the margins.

 Last year, after he served more than 20 long years in prison, I commuted Sherman’s sentence and those of many others who were serving unjust and outdated prison sentences.

 And today, I’m commuting the sentences of an additional 214 men and women who are just as deserving of a second chance. Altogether, I’ve commuted more sentences than the past nine presidents combined, and I am not done yet.

These acts of clemency are important steps for families like Sherman’s and steer our country in a better direction, but they alone won’t fix our criminal justice system. We need Congress to pass meaningful federal sentencing reform that will allow us to more effectively use taxpayer dollars to protect the public.

I hope you’ll take a minute to read and share Sherman’s letter. The more we understand the human stories behind this problem, the sooner we can start making real changes that keep our streets safe, break the cycle of incarceration in this country, and save taxpayers like you money.

 

Falana Urges Buhari To Pardon Soldiers Convicted For Mutiny

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Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to pardon all soldiers convicted by various courts martial for offences of mutiny allegedly committed while prosecuting the war against Boko Haram in the North East.

Falana, argued in his letter dated January 15, 2016 and addressed to President Buhari, that the conviction passed on the soldiers and the summary dismissal over 3,000 of others amounted to grave injustice since they were only punished for demanding weapons to fight the terrorists.

The letter is titled, ‘Request for presidential pardon for all convicted members of the armed forces  pursuant to section 175 of the Nigerian Constitution’.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who urged the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy in favour of the soldiers ?under section 175 of the Constitution, reminded the President of recent revelation of  how funds meant for purchase of arms were allegedly diverted by the Office of the National Security Adviser under Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).

Credit: Punch

US President Obama Reduces Sentences Of 46 Convicts

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President Barack Obama cut the prison sentences of 46 non-violent drug offenders on Monday, including 14 who were sentenced to life in prison, saying “their punishments didn’t fit the crime.”
“These men and women were not hardened criminals,” Obama said in a video released by the White House, noting that the overwhelming majority of the 46 had been sentenced to at least 20 years.

The move was part of a broader ongoing effort by the administration to make the U.S. criminal justice system fairer. Obama has now issued 89 commutations during his presidency, most of them to non-violent offenders sentenced for drug crimes under outdated sentencing guidelines. A
commutation leaves the conviction in place, but reduces the punishment.

Obama wrote a personal letter to each of the 46 individuals to notify them of their commutations. Their sentences all now expire on Nov. 10, 2015.

In a letter to Jerry Bailey, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to violate laws against crack-cocaine, Obama praised Bailey for showing the potential to turn his life around.

“Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity,” Obama wrote in the letter, which was sent to Bailey’s address at a federal correctional facility in Georgia,. “It will not be easy,” Obama said, “and you will confront many who doubt people with criminal records can change.”

Obama’s lawyer, White House counsel Neil Eggleston, predicted the president would issue even more commutations before leaving office in early 2017. But he also said that Obama’s powers to fix the problem were limited, adding that “clemency alone will not fix decades of overly punitive sentencing policies.”

Obama this week is devoting considerable attention to the criminal justice system. He plans to lay out ideas for how to improve the fairness of the system during a speech to the NAACP in Philadelphia on Tuesday. And on Thursday, he is to become the first sitting president to visit a federal prison when he goes to the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution outside of Oklahoma City. While there, he will meet with law enforcement officials and inmates.

Obama said that after his commutations, there is still “a lot more we can do to restore the sense of fairness at the heart of our justice system.”

Julie Stewart, president and founder of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a group seeking changes in sentencing, said the organization was “thrilled to see that more folks serving excessively long sentences for non-violent drug offenses are going home.”

“But they’re leaving behind many equally deserving people,” she said, “so let’s keep these commutations coming, while remembering that clemency is a tool made necessary by our failure to reform mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Congress simply can’t act fast enough.”

The 46 sentence reductions announced Monday are the most presidential commutations in a single day since the Lyndon Johnson administration in the 1960s.

Obama has commuted the sentences of 89 people, surpassing the combined number of commutations

FNC granted by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

APC Chieftain Begs Party Leadership To Pardon Saraki, Dogara

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A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State, Francis Onabis has appealed to the leadership of the party to support Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

Onabis in a statement signed in Lagos by his Media Officer, Ayokunle Oloye, said it will be undemocratic for the party not to recognize the leadership of the National Assembly who are its members.

“Their emergence is good for democracy in Nigeria. In an as much they are our party members, they were free to contest for the post of the president of the senate and Speaker,” Onabis said.

Onabis warned that the party leadership may be overheating the polity if Saraki and Dogara are sanctioned over the manner they emerged as Senate President and Speaker respectively.

Onabis said while the party leadership must not condone indiscipline of its members, it must also provide a level playing ground for all members at all time.

Onabis urged the leadership of both assemblies to work in line with the APC manifestos, stressing that it’s unhealthy if they form an opposition against the Buhari led administration.

“In as much as they are prepared to make the necessary change in the senate and work with both executive and judicial arm of government for the betterment of the Nation in line with our party blueprint for a new Nigeria, APC leadership must give them total support.”

He warned that the overall goal of the APC to bring positive change must not be traded on the alter of internal rancor, saying all arms of government have roles to play to make the APC-led Federal Government succeed.

Credit: vanguardngr

Return Stolen Funds & Get Pardon, Buhari To Corrupt Officials

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Nigeria’s President elect may likely grant amnesty to corrupt politicians but they will have to first return any stolen money in their possession. This was made known by  former governor of Ekiti state and Head of Policy, Research & Strategy, Buhari Campaign, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
According to the ex-governor, Buhari’s promise to extend hands of friendship to everybody  does not mean that he would not prosecute corrupt government officials who served in the President Goodluck Jonathan administration. Kayode was speaking during a programme on BBC titled, HardTalk were he said the APC government would use all means to ensure that justice and fairness were established.
“Corruption is not going to be dealt with by punishment alone. It is also going to be dealt with by incentives to those who are prepared to have a conversion. If you come voluntarily and say, look, I have stolen some money and I am prepared to return the money, Gen. Buhari would not say no to that.”
“Returning the funds is a form of justice to Nigeria because those funds will now be available for the teeming population. There would be a range of options for dealing with corruption but that does not mean that justice will not take its full course.
“Buhari said he would not interfere with the judicial process and that if anyone is found guilty of malfeasance or corruption then that the law would take its course. Buhari didn’t mention any individual but anyone who is found guilty or who behaved badly in terms of corruption would be brought to face the law.”
Credit: newsround24