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Obama Sets Record for Commutations Granted, and for Those Denied
Former President Barack Obama has been widely commended for granting a record 1,927 applications for clemency during his two terms in office from January 20, 2009 through January 19, 2017, consisting of 1,715 commutations and 212 pardons. Those figures are higher than the clemencies granted by the previous six presidents ...
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More from this issue:
- Ohio Pays More Than $9.6 Million to Three Men Wrongfully Convicted in 1975 Murder, by Lonnie Burton
- Federal Transgender Prisoner Allowed to Wear Feminine Clothing at Video Trial
- New Jersey: Jail Time for Unpaid Littering Fine Results in Civil Suit
- Fifth Circuit Holds Court May Compel Attorney to Represent Indigent Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Court of Appeals Upholds Termination of Prisoners’ Parental Rights
- Colorado: Demonstrators Clash with Police over Seizure of Jury Nullification Pamphlets, by Joe Watson
- Prisoner Suicides and Attempts Increasing in Texas, by Matthew Clarke
- Attorneys with Disciplinary Records Part of Flaw in Pennsylvania’s Death Penalty System, by David Reutter
- Louisiana’s High Incarceration Rate Economically Motivated, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit: Staff Misleading Prisoner about Grievance Process Excuses Failure to Exhaust, by Matthew Clarke
- New Jersey Appellate Court Modifies Use of Polygraphs for Paroled Sex Offenders
- Local Police Department Disbanded in Wake of Speed Trap Embezzlement Scheme, by Christopher Zoukis
- The Financial Firm that Cornered the Market on Jails, by Arun Gupta
- Ohio: Garnishment from Exempt Funds in Prison Account States Mandamus Claim
- Despite Lack of State License, ICE Family Detention Center Continues Operating
- Settlement in Baltimore Prison Conditions Class-action Suit
- Defense Attorneys Seek Access to DNA-Matching Software’s Source Code, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas District Attorney and Prosecutor Accused, Cleared of Misconduct, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoner’s Escape from Illinois Jail Aided by Former Guard, Incompetence, by Christopher Zoukis
- Jailers in California, Georgia Acquitted of Abusing Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Philadelphia Prison Guards Face Prison Time for Contraband Smuggling
- Rikers Island Guard Trainers Lose Lawsuit for Failure to Repay Loan
- Arkansas Judge Resigns after Sexual Favors Allegations
- Peanut Company Executives Appeal Prison Sentences in Rare Corporate Prosecution, by Christopher Zoukis
- Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Family Sues over Death after Beating by Guards
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Qualified Immunity for Prisoner’s Rape, Affirms for One Jailer
- Prisoners Say They Paid a Bloody Price for a Guard’s Injury, by Tom Robbins
- Australia, New Zealand and UK Have Higher Proportion of Prisoners in Private Prisons
- Overcrowding in Arkansas Prisons, Jails Spurs Call for Reforms, by David Reutter
- Georgia: Dozens of Indictments for Prison Contraband Smuggling, by David Reutter
- Youths Still Dying in Florida Juvenile Detention Centers from Abuse, Neglect, by David Reutter
- Georgia Prisoner Caught Sneaking into Prison Charged with Escape
- Michigan Prison Officials Held in Contempt for Violating Ramadan Order, by David Reutter
- Study Examines Professional License Restrictions for Ex-offenders, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Strikes Do Not Count as Strikes for Georgia PLRA
- Delaware Prisoners Demand Education, Rehabilitation, by Monte McCoin
- $60,000 for Nevada Prisoner Forced to Remove His Own Teeth, by Derek Gilna
- Chicago Pays $4.95 Million to Family of Prisoner Who Died After Police Beating, by Lonnie Burton
- Red Light Traffic Camera CEO Sentenced for Corruption in Ohio and Illinois
- Ban the Box Movement Spreads to More States, Municipalities
- New York Prisoner’s $150,001 Judgment Reversed Due to Hearsay Evidence
- Judge Orders Missouri DOC to Disclose Names of Pharmacies that Supply Execution Drugs; Appellate Court Reverses, by Lonnie Burton
- Medicare Penalties Await Released Prisoners Who Apply After Age 65, by Derek Gilna
- $1.5M Settlement in Oklahoma Jail Beating, by Lonnie Burton
- PCI Announces 2016 Awards for Private Prison Activism, Advocacy and News Reporting
- Tragic Justice: Wrongfully Convicted Prisoners Die Shortly After Exoneration, by Matthew Clarke
- The Violent American Epidemic You Won’t Hear About: Why Prison Abuse Goes Unreported and Unpunished, by Daniel Denvir
- When an Old Law Makes it Hard to Fix a Troubled Jail, by Alysia Santo
- Obama Sets Record for Commutations Granted, and for Those Denied, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Court Certifies Class in Texas Prison Excessive Heat Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Escape is Latest Problem at Troubled Privately-run Texas Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Derek Gilna:
- Federal Judge in Louisiana Issues Sweeping Opinion Finding Numerous Eighth Amendment, ADA and RA Violations at Angola, April 1, 2022
- Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California, Sept. 1, 2021
- California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment”, Sept. 1, 2021
- The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On, Sept. 1, 2021
- District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons, Sept. 1, 2021
- HRDC Settles Censorship Lawsuit with Johnson County, Kansas Jail for $50,000 and Policy Changes, Aug. 1, 2021
- Virginia Prosecutors to Dismiss 400 Drug Convictions Tied to Disgraced Cop, July 15, 2021
- Discredited New York Police Detective’s False Testimony Causes the Dismissal of Close to 100 Drug Convictions, June 15, 2021
- D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences Firearms Examination Unit Under Fire, April 15, 2021
- Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, April 1, 2021
More from these topics:
- Among World Nations, Individual U.S. States Near Top of List for Per Capita Incarceration, Feb. 15, 2025. Statistics/Trends, Prisoners-International, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
- California Governor Pardons Former Prisoner Podcaster of “Ear Hustle”, Feb. 15, 2025. Pardons/Clemency, Prisoner Media.
- 1994 Crime Bill Turns 30: A Legacy of Controversy, Jan. 15, 2025. Crime, Statistics/Trends, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Publishes Data Report on Compassionate Release in FY 2023, Oct. 1, 2024. COVID-19, Statistics/Trends, Compassionate Release, Official Report.
- Oklahoma Lawmakers Sue for Pardon and Parole Board Texts After Condemned Prisoner Denied Clemency, Sept. 15, 2024. Parole Board Misconduct, Pardons/Clemency, Text Messages.
- One of Eight Prisoners Now Released is a Woman, Sept. 15, 2024. Gender Discrimination -- Women, Statistics/Trends.
- Maryland Governor Pardons Thousands of Low-Level Marijuana Convictions, Seeking to Right Historical Wrongs, Sept. 1, 2024. Pardons/Clemency, Marijuana Laws/Issues, Use of Marijuana.
- Maryland Pardons 175,000 Marijuana Misdemeanor Convictions, Aug. 15, 2024. Pardons/Clemency, Marijuana Laws/Issues, Use of Marijuana.
- The 153 Exonerations in 2023 Include 19 Resulting From Threats or Sentences of Death, July 15, 2024. Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Conviction.
- Hope Against Hope, July 1, 2024. Pardons/Clemency.