Obama Shortens Terms for 214 Prisoners

President Barack Obama on Wednesday cut short the sentences of 214 federal inmates, including 67 of which were serving life sentences, in what the White House called the largest batch of commutations on a single day in more than a century.

Almost all the prisoners were serving time for nonviolent crimes related to cocaine, methamphetamine or other drugs, although a few were charged with firearms violations related to their drug activities. Almost all are men, though they all share different backgrounds geographically. 

Laws in the Making. Obama's push to lessen the burden on nonviolent drug offenders reflects his heavily promoted view that the U.S. needs to remedy the consequences of decades of disproportionate sentencing requirements that put tens of thousands behind bars for far too long. Obama has used the aggressive pace of his commutations to increase pressure on Congress to pass a broader fix and to call more attention to the issue.

One of the inmates, Dicky Joe Jackson of Texas, was given a life sentence in 1996 for methamphetamine violations and for being a felon with an unlicensed gun. He told the ACLU in a 2013 report that a death sentence would have been preferable, adding, "I wish it were over, even if it meant I were dead." (ABC NEWS)

Thomas embraces his father, Bobby Thomas (left), and mother (right) after the championship won in February

Another prisoner who was granted clemency was Minnie Pearl Thomas, the 60 year-old grandmother of Denver Broncos player Demaryius Thomas who also saw his mother's sentence shortened by Obama last July. His mother and grandmother were busted for running a cocaine ring in Georgia and have spend the past quarter of a century locked up at the same federal prison in Florida. Thomas' mother, Katrina Smith, got out in time to watch her son play in - and win - the Super Bowl.

Thomas' mother is pictured above, watching her son play in a game after her release last year. It marked the first time that Smith had ever been able to go to one of her son's professional football games.

Earlier this year, Demaryius' mother started a petition on Change.org, asking the president to commute her mother's sentence.

'My mom and I made mistakes by getting involved with drugs,' Smith wrote. 'We regret it and have each paid dearly for it. But neither of us deserved the long sentences we received. Because I refused to testify against my mother, I received a 20 year mandatory sentence because I did not give 'substantial assistance' to the prosecution.'

Making History. Altogether, Obama has commuted 562 sentences during his presidency — more than the past nine presidents combined, the White House said. Almost 200 of those who have benefited were serving life sentences.

"All of the individuals receiving commutation today — incarcerated under outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws — embody the president's belief that 'America is a nation of second chances,'" White House counsel Neil Eggleston wrote in a blog post

Presidents tend to use their powers to commute sentences or issue pardons more frequently at the end of their presidencies, and Obama administration officials said the rapid pace would continue during Obama's final months.

"We are not done yet," Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said. "We expect that many more men and women will be given a second chance through the clemency initiative."

To read more on the new clemency laws hit the link here