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Because of when these drug offenders were sentenced, they will spend more time in prison than they would if they were sentenced today. "This is simply not right," Holder said. Holder says the White House wants to consider many more clemency applications -- "to restore a degree of justice, fairness, and proportionality for deserving individuals who do not pose a threat to public safety."
Holder announced that the Justice Department will release new clemency guidelines later this week: "Once these reforms go into effect, we expect to receive thousands of additional applications for clemency. And we at the Department of Justice will meet this need by assigning potentially dozens of lawyers -- with backgrounds in both prosecution and defense -- to review applications and provide the rigorous scrutiny that all clemency applications require." Holder said the "new and improved approach" will allow the Justice Department to recommend "as many qualified applicants as possible for reduced sentences."
Last December, President Obama commuted the sentences of eight men and women who had each served more than 15 years in prison for crack cocaine offenses due to mandatory minimum guidelines that are now considered to be "profoundly out of date." "These stories illustrate the vital role that the clemency process can play in America's justice system," Holder said. As a society, we pay much too high a price whenever our system fails to deliver the just outcomes necessary to deter and punish crime, to keep us safe, and to ensure that those who have paid their debts have a chance to become productive citizens. "Our expanded clemency application process will aid in this effort. And it will advance the aims of our innovative new Smart on Crime initiative -- to strengthen the criminal justice system, promote public safety and deliver on the promise of equal justice under law."
Last August, Holder said the nation's prisons faced massive overcrowding:"[T]oo many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law enforcement reason," he said. He also said that "widespread incarceration at the federal, state, and local levels is both ineffective and unsustainable." Among other things, Holder at the time directed federal prosecutors to stop charging nonviolent drug defendants with offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences. More recently, Holder complained in February that state laws barring felons from voting are "too unjust to tolerate."
'Smart on Crime' Means Get Out of Jail for Thousands of Drug Offenders | CNS News
Healthcare.gov lists eight situations that qualify for special enrollment in the exchanges, including "leaving incarceration." On Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department will release new clemency guidelines later this week, designed to help thousands of nonviolent drug offenders get out of prison. In addition to getting out of prison, the other "qualifying life events" that will allow you to enroll in the exchanges before Nov. 15 include:
-- No longer being covered by your parents' plan
-- Moving to a new area
-- Having a baby or adopting a child
-- Getting married or divorced
-- Losing your other health insurance
-- Gaining status as a member of an Indian tribe
-- Gaining citizenship
Uninsured Americans who didn't sign up for health coverage by April 15 will have to wait until Nov. 15 to purchase a policy, unless they're eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. Those government-run plans for low-income people accept enrollees year-round.
HHS: People 'Leaving Incarceration' May Enroll in Obamacare | CNS News
