President Obama Announces A Second Set of More than 100 Clemency Grants This Month

NACDL

In his second set of clemency grants this month, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 111 prisoners today, 72 of whom were applicants whose petitions were supported by Clemency Project 2014. Today's grants bring the total number of commutations granted by President Obama since taking office to 673.

Cynthia W. Roseberry, project manager for Clemency Project 2014, said: "Today's grants come only a few weeks after the President granted a record number of clemency petitions. On behalf of the Project and the countless people it serves, I want to express how pleased I am with the continued commitment that President Obama has shown toward commuting sentences. We are looking forward to many more grants during the remaining months of President Obama's term in office."

Clemency Project 2014, an unprecedented, independent effort by the nation's bar, has recruited and trained nearly 4,000 volunteer lawyers from diverse practice backgrounds and completed screening of over 33,000 of the more than 36,000 federal prisoners who have requested volunteer assistance. As of today, Clemency Project 2014 has submitted more than 1,600 petitions to the Office of the Pardon Attorney, with many more nearing submission.

For more information and to volunteer for Clemency Project 2014, please visit www.clemencyproject2014.org.

Please direct all media inquiries to media@clemencyproject2014.org.

The American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Federal Public and Community Defenders, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers have joined together under a working group they call Clemency Project 2014. Through the efforts of Clemency Project 2014, the participating organizations are identifying potential clemency petitioners and recruiting and training volunteer lawyers to assist them in securing clemency. 

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's approximately 9,000 direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal justice system.