Obama Commutes Sentences of Eight Nonviolent Drug Offenders

President Barack Obama is cutting short the sentences of eight federal drug offenders, including four who were set to die in prison, as part of a new initiative to reduce harsh sentences for nonviolent crimes.

Sidney Earl Johnson Jr., Rickey Marcell McCall, Larry Nailor and Israel Abel Torres had received life sentences and were going to die behind bars. Their commutations, and those of four others who were convicted of drug crimes, mean they'll all be released in 2015, The Huffington Post reports.

Obama has now commuted the sentences of 18 people, which a White House official noted was more than either President Ronald Reagan or President George W. Bush, the Huffington Post reports.

The clemency policy changes aren't limited to drug offenders, who compose about half of the roughly 216,000 federal prisoners, but the criteria make it clear they are the main targets.

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