President Obama on Thursday shortened the prison sentences for 102 convicts with drug-related offenses.
This latest round of commutations by Obama brings the grand total to 774 during his presidency. White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said that Obama has commuted more sentences this year than in any other single year in U.S. history. He added that his total was more than the previous 11 presidents combined.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest in hair, beauty, style and celebrity news.
“The vast majority of today’s grants were for individuals serving unduly harsh sentences for drug-related crimes under outdated sentencing laws,” Eggleston said in a statement.
Last year President Obama became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison in Oklahoma, part of a White House push to focus attention on Obama’s call for criminal justice reform.
“We have to consider whether this is the smartest way for us to both control crime and to rehabilitate individuals,” Obama said at the time.