Obama Will Take ‘Executive Action’ to Reduce Prison Population

Cybercast News Service ^ | January 31, 2014 - 7:40 AM | Susan Jones

[Olog-hai]

Congress can pass legislation giving judges more discretion in the sentencing of prisoners, but President Obama “also has the ability to take executive action” to commute the sentences of “low-level” drug offenders—and that’s just what he plans to do, Deputy Attorney General James Cole told the New York State Bar Association annual meeting on Thursday.

“A little over a month ago, the President commuted the sentences of eight men and women who were sentenced under severe—and out of date—mandatory minimum sentencing laws,” Cole said. …

[Buckeye McFrog]

By having them spayed or neutered?

[Graewoulf]

Impeach Obama in 2014. Period.

[AU72]

Deval Patrick managed to get 17,000 drug cases dismissed by hiring incompetents at the state drug lab.

[jonose]

Pardons for sale,
Lame duck
Pardons for sale

0 will take in millions

[Starboard]

Not possible. He has too many friends in the GOP leadership.

[silverleaf]

My dog has fleas

Can Obama issue an executive order and fix that?

Oh and the basement leaks- can he fix that too

[gspurlock]

How ‘bout deporting all of the illegal aliens in our prisons to their own countries?

[MrB]

I’m thinking this action will have “disparate impact”.

Do you think so too?

[Red Badger]

Is this just federal criminals? The POTUS cannot pardon state criminals..................

[Abathar]

He must be talking about federal drug laws only, because if he thinks he is going to start freeing prisoners that were sentenced under state guidelines he can cram that right up his Obama.

[oldbrowser]

Everybody knows that drug laws discriminate against blacks and other minorities. This will be a chance for Obama to correct the affects of these unfair laws and bring the prison population back into balance with the general population. /s

[Red Badger]

Oh and the basement leaks- can he fix that too

[George from New England]

How many thousands released ? Oh well, 1000s more reasons to be armed I guess.

[SoFloFreeper]

....watch the crime rate skyrocket.

[Doogle]

...he’ll give them jobs as Odungocare navigators....

[Steely Tom]

I bet the details of the definition of “low-level drug offender” will contain all kinds of fun. They’ll come out when it’s too late, though.

[alancarp]

Link to story from December in which he's already done this. In that case, it was federal drug charges. The argument was - as is now, it seems - that the sentencing guidelines were reduced since these guys were convicted, and thus it's "unfair" that they are still in prison.

I'd argue that they should have known the risks and chose to break the law anyway.

[Qiviut]

ANOTHER good reason for the law abiding public to be able to defend themselves with a firearm.

[Gaffer]

He’d have to really do a lot to catch up with Grifter Clinton.