As his final act as president, Barack Obama reduced the sentences of 330 prisoners who were found guilty of drug charges. On Thursday, he felt the need to address and take corrective action for a systematic inequality for one last time.
According to the White House, Obama has granted a total of 1,715 commutations, which is more than that of any other U.S. president. During his term, the 44th president requested to free 568 inmates who were given life sentences.
"He wanted to do it. He wanted the opportunity to look at as many as he could to provide relief," White House counsel Neil Eggleston explained. "He saw the injustice of the sentences that were imposed in many situations, and he has a strong view that people deserve a second chance."
For Obama, trimming down the sentences of the 330 inmates was his plan to put his presidential powers into effect and in a significant manner for the final time. This Friday, his term will come to an end as he and the rest of the country will welcome President-elect Donald Trump as his new successor.
While Obama ordered the commutations, most of his family’s things were already cleared out of the White House to make way for the new president. As he was performing his final duties, a few remaining staff members were also packing and taking down his photos from the West Wing corridors.
During his second term, Obama sought to resolve the adverse impact of arduous sentencing processes. He believed thousands of inmates charged with drug-related crimes are being imprisoned for too long. The 55-year-old politician frequently appealed to the Congress to make way for an all-encompassing criminal justice system, although these legislators did not act on such request.
Earlier in the week, convicted leaker Chelsea Manning’s sentence was commuted as Obama pointed out that the Army intelligence analyst had already served a long sentence and had expressed deep regret over her actions.
