Washington, D.C. (May 5, 2016) – In his second set of clemency grants in under six weeks, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 58 prisoners today, 28 of whom were applicants whose petitions were supported by Clemency Project 2014.
Cynthia W. Roseberry, project manager for Clemency Project 2014, said: "On behalf Clemency Project 2014 and the thousands of volunteer lawyers who have stepped up to help countless prisoners seeking a commutation of their excessive sentences, I want to express how pleased I am with the seemingly accelerating rate at which President Obama is commuting these sentences. As the administration is aware, there are a significant number of deserving applicants whose petitions have been submitted to the Office of the Pardon Attorney, including over 900 through Clemency Project 2014, and are awaiting action by the administration. We look forward to even more grants over the remainder of President Obama's term in office."
Clemency Project 2014, an unprecedented, independent effort by the nation's bar, has recruited and trained nearly 4,000 volunteer lawyers from diverse practice backgrounds and completed screening of nearly 30,000 of the more than 36,000 federal prisoners who have requested volunteer assistance. As of today, Clemency Project 2014 has submitted more than 900 petitions to the Office of the Pardon Attorney, with many more nearing submission.
For more information and to volunteer for Clemency Project 2014, please visit www.clemencyproject2014.org.
The American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Federal Public and Community Defenders, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers have joined together under a working group they call Clemency Project 2014. Through the efforts of Clemency Project 2014, the participating organizations are identifying potential clemency petitioners and recruiting and training volunteer lawyers to assist them in securing clemency.
Contacts
Please direct all media inquiries to media@clemencyproject2014.org.
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.