President Obama on Monday commuted the prison sentences of 46 nonviolent federal drug offenders.
In a video released by the White House, Obama championed the United States as "a nation of second chances" and announced his commutation of the prisoners’ sentences ahead of a weeklong push to focus on criminal justice reform.
"These men and women were not violent criminals, but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years; 14 of them had been sentenced to life for nonviolent drug offenses, so their punishments didn’t fit the crime," Obama said in the video. "I believe that America, at its heart, is a nation of second chances, and I believe these folks deserve their second chance."
The president authored a letter to each prisoner wishing them "good luck." The 46 individuals join 43 nonviolent criminals whose sentences Obama previously commuted.
On Tuesday, Obama will unveil his plan to tackle criminal justice reform during remarks at the NAACP annual convention in Philadelphia before traveling to El Reno Correctional Institution in Oklahoma Thursday.