Thursday, December 1, 2016

A Race to Deliver Criminal Justice Reform in Obama's Final Days

In the early `90s, Norman Brown was found guilty of possession and distribution of crack cocaine—his third such criminal offense.

As he stood nervously before the judge who would render his fate, the resulting mandatory sentence was crushing: life without parole in federal prison. He was 22-years-old.

"It's hard to describe how hopeless I felt," recalls Brown, now 49. "I knew I'd made mistakes, but for a nonviolent offense, the time did not suit the crime. It seemed like overkill." 

After spending 24 years behind bars, the `model' inmate—who'd taken educational courses and mentored peers—was granted commutation in November 2015 by President Barack Obama. To date, the Commander-in-Chief has commuted the sentences of 1,023 men and women, including 300 individuals who were serving life. 

Click here for the full article. 

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