Obama commutes sentences of 46 US convicts

Washington

US President Barack Obama granted clemency Monday to 46 convicted drug traffickers, saying their original sentences were unduly harsh under outdated laws.

The move brings the total number of commutations Obama has issued to 89, reducing the sentences of more convicts than the last four presidents combined.

"These men and women were not hardened criminals," Obama said in a video released on the White House Facebook page.

"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."

The US prison population dwarfs that of other countries, making the United States the world's biggest jailer.

Obama has issued commutations before as part of his administration's efforts to reform the criminal justice system. He has granted clemency mostly to non-violent drug offenders, but never in such a large number.

The president noted that if these convicts had been sentenced under current laws, nearly all of them would have already served their time by now.

"I believe these folks deserve their second chance," he said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama has taken "pretty bold action" as concerns commutations.