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Obama To Release 22 Drug Offenders

On Tuesday, the White House announced President Obama is reducing 22 drug offenders' sentences.
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On Tuesday, the White House announced President Obama is reducing the sentences of 22 people in federal prisons for drug-related charges such as possession and distribution.

Eight of those individuals were in prison for life. The rest were set to serve at least 19 years. All but one of them will be released July 28, 2015.

On the White House blog, the administration explained, "Because many were convicted under an outdated sentencing regime, they served years — in some cases more than a decade — longer than individuals convicted today of the same crime."

With today's move, President Obama doubled his number of commutations. He has now reduced the sentences of 43 people during his tenure. Compare that to 11 commutations under George W. Bush's presidency.

This video includes images from Getty Images.