All told, Obama has commuted 562 sentences during his presidency — more than the past nine presidents combined, the White House said. U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday cut short the sentences of 214 federal inmates, including 67 life sentences, in what the White House called the largest batch of commutations on a single day in more than a century. Civil liberties groups praised that policy change, but have pushed the Obama administration to grant commutations at a faster pace. Obama has long called for phasing out strict sentences for drug offences, arguing they lead to excessive punishment and incarceration rates unseen in other developed countries. Both Brown's and Jackson's sentences will now end Dec. 1, along with most of the rest of those receiving commutations Wednesday.

Source: CBC News August 03, 2016 19:59 UTC