President Obama on Wednesday commuted the sentences of 61 inmates, including a 69-year-old Hawaii island man who was committed to 20 years in prison more than a decade ago.
The Associated Press reported that all of the inmates are serving time for drug possession, intent to sell or related crimes. Most are nonviolent offenders, although a few were also charged with firearms violations.
Among those receiving clemency is David Lang Akana of Pahala, who was arrested in 2004 along with three others during a drug bust in Kau. Police seized 468.2 grams of ice, a small amount of marijuana, a powder substance, 15 pills, drug paraphernalia, $566 in cash and a vehicle.
In 2005 he was sentenced to 240 months in a federal prison and 10 years of supervised release on four counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, according to court records.
Akana is currently serving time in the medium security 1,301-bed Herlong Federal Correctional Institution in eastern California. His sentence will now expire on July 28.
Prior to the federal conviction Akana had been sentenced to a year in jail on Hawaii island in 1992 for promotion of a dangerous drug and had been placed on five years’ probation.
A White House statement said sentences were commuted for “individuals serving years in prison under outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws. More than one-third of them were serving life sentences. To date, the president has now commuted the sentences of 248 individuals – more than the previous six presidents combined. And, in total, he has commuted 92 life sentences.”
The Obama administration today will host a briefing titled “Life After Clemency” with advocates, academics and administration officials to discuss and share ideas on the president’s clemency initiative and ways to improve paths to re-entry.
In addition to officials from the White House and the Department of Justice, experts, academics and commutation recipients will share their expertise and insights on returning to society after years behind bars, the White House said.
