Columbus woman among President Obama’s commutations
President Obama made news on Monday with the announcement that he was commuting the prison sentences of 46 nonviolent drug offenders. The president noted that if these same people would have been convicted under the laws and statutes that we have today, they all would have been released by now. In a video statement released on Facebook, Obama said this:
“These men and women were not hardened criminals, but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years. Fourteen of them had been sentenced to life for nonviolent drug offenses, so their punishments didn’t fit the crime…I believe that, at its heart, America is a nation of second chances, and I believe these folks deserve their second chance.”
– President Barack Obama
The president wrote personal letters to each of the prisoners set for release. In one letter, he offered this:
“I am granting your application because you have demonstrated the potential to turn your life around. Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity. It will not be easy, and you will confront many who doubt people with criminal records can change. Perhaps even you are unsure of how you will adjust to your new circumstances. But remember that you have the capacity to make good choices.”
Obama also told the 46 that by their actions and the decisions that they make in the future, they will help to determine the ease with which others will be granted similar second chances in the future.
Among those receiving a second chance from the Commander-in-Chief…a Columbus woman named Kimberly Westmoreland. She was convicted of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base and carrying a firearm in relation to that crime. In 2004, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, meaning that she would be behind bars until January of 2019. Her commutation date is now set for November 10th of this year. (jj)
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