Each year as November and December rolls around, anxious prisoners wait for what they hope will be the best present of their lives, clemency or a pardon from the President. Expectations are particularly high this year, because President Obama is viewed by many prisoners as someone who “gets it.”
Obama seems to support criminal justice reform. He signed the “Crack Cocaine” bill into law, and he’s an advocate for the Second-Chance Act. So why, some wonder, has he not issued any clemencies or pardons? Pardon Power, a blog that follows such matters, claims that Obama falls behind only Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and George Washington in commuting sentences.
The Justice Department, without giving out names of applicants, reported that “several hundred” applications for pardons or commutation of sentences are pending. The good news is that President Obama has not denied any applications. The bad news is that he hasn’t approved any, either.
And so, the wait goes on. With his popularity ratings slipping, some fear that Obama will not issue many pardons or clemencies. Others feel that as December draws to a close, the president will not bow to pressure and will issue, if not a record number, than at least a large number of pardons. For those who painstakingly filled out the necessary documents and sent them off for consideration, waiting for a decision from the President is an emotionally exhausting experience. Soon prison cells all over America will either echo with exuberant joy, or with the wails of abject sadness. Most of those who will be bitterly disappointed with the answer they receive will somehow find the strength to try again next year. Campaigning isn’t just for politicians.
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