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 Obama has pushed to reform the U.S. criminal justice system to
reduce the number of people serving long sentences for non-violent
drug crimes, a rare area where the Democratic president has garnered
support from Republican lawmakers.
"It does not make sense for a non-violent drug offender to be
getting 20 years, 30 years, in some cases life in prison. That’s not
serving anybody," Obama said after lunch with several people whose
sentences had been commuted.
Obama has now commuted 248 sentences, which the White House said was
more than the previous six presidents combined. More than a third of
those commuted on Wednesday were life sentences.
"Throughout the remainder of his time in office, the President is
committed to continuing to issue more grants of clemency as well as
to strengthening rehabilitation programs," White House counsel Neil
Eggleston said in a statement.
 Over a burger, Obama talked with four women and three men whose
sentences were commuted about what it was like to get a second
chance.
He highlighted the story of Phillip Emmert, convicted in 1992 on a
charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Emmert, who wiped back tears as Obama told his story, served 14
years before then-President George W. Bush commuted his sentence in
2006. Emmert got clean from drugs, took job training in prison and
now maintains air-handling systems at the Veterans Affairs Medical
Center in Iowa City, Iowa.
"It is my strong belief that by exercising these presidential
powers, I have the chance to show people what a second chance can
look like," Obama told reporters.
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The Justice Department launched a program in April 2014 to identify
prisoners serving time for crimes they were sentenced for under laws
that have since been changed to carry less severe punishments.
Applicants qualify if they have no record of violence, no
significant ties to a gang or drug cartel, have been in prison at
least 10 years and have demonstrated good behavior.
Efforts on Capitol Hill to change laws to reduce mandatory minimum
sentences for non-violent drug offenders have stalled amid the race
for the Nov. 8 presidential election.
Obama said he was still hopeful Congress would act before he leaves
the White House in January, praising the efforts of Republican
Speaker Paul Ryan in the House of Representatives.
(Reporting by Alana Wise and Roberta Rampton; Editing by James
Dalgleish)
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