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Obama Commutes Escambia Woman’s Life Sentence For Drugs
December 20, 2013
President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of eight federal inmates Thursday, including an Escambia County woman.
Stephanie Yvette George of Pensacola received a life sentence in 1997 for conspiracy to possess cocaine base with intent to distribute. Her prison sentence was commuted by the president to expire on April 17, 2014.
Her former boyfriend’s half-kilogram of crack cocaine was hidden in a box in her attic, according to a New York Times report.
“Even though you have been involved in drugs and drug dealing,” Judge Vinson told George, according to the New York Times. “Your role has basically been as a girlfriend and bag holder and money holder but not actively involved in the drug dealing, so certainly in my judgment it does not warrant a life sentence.”
Due to mandatory federal sentencing guidelines in effect at the time, Vinson was forced to sentence George, now 43, to life in prison.
“This law began to right a decades-old injustice, but for thousands of inmates, it came too late. If they had been sentenced under the current law, many of them would have already served their time and paid their debt to society. Instead, because of a disparity in the law that is now recognized as unjust, they remain in prison, separated from their families and their communities, at a cost of millions of taxpayer dollars each year,” Obama said. “Commuting the sentences of these eight Americans is an important step toward restoring fundamental ideals of justice and fairness.”
Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act in 2010, narrowing the disparity between penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses.
Comments
21 Responses to “Obama Commutes Escambia Woman’s Life Sentence For Drugs”
I’d like to see mandatory life sentences for child molesters and other vicious sex crimes. Actually I’d prefer they be clubbed to death. But how often do you see these pervs back out on the streets after others. One can run over someone while drunk, leave the scene of the accident and not get life. Sometimes they don’t even serve any jail time at all depending on how they are. 2nd degree murderers are seldom given life. So does the crime this woman committed really rise to the level of a life sentence? It’s ridiculous and it was done more as a political move to look like they were doing something more to combat drug crimes than for any other reason. Now if we could only do something about these vile scum bags sitting for 20 years on death row before action is taken.
And as far as bad presidents, we haven’t had a more crooked stupid man at the helm than George W. Bush.
CONCERN: Maybe you don’t understand that when Obama got into office we was only (5) TRILLION DOLLARS in debt !!! NOW WE ARE 17 TRILLION DOLLARS SO WHO PUT US IN MORE WORSE SHAPE FASTER THAN ALL THE PRESIDENTS WE HAD COMBINED!! OBAMA
@WOW I’m suprised he found time between his rounds of golf, dinners and private concerts to do anything else. I think I’ll run for a 8 year all expense’s paid vacation.
@WOW, President Obama doesn’t want to fix america because that’s not part of his agenda, When all of his policies make people rely more on the government then what do you have. Just look at all recorded history shows us. This is no different.
@Mac- a 1/2 kilo for her own use?
Wow, now she can do it again on our streets. Maybe she will serve it to your children since some of you think its good for her to be out…
This is the first time I’ve ever agreed with this president. No one should ever spend life in prison for drugs. That’s ridiculous! Let people ruin their lives with drugs, who cares? As long as it’s not affecting other people, leave them be.
@ northendbratt , yes you have. His name is George W Bush.
I’m absolutely amazed. President Obama is the first president that I can recall that didn’t wait til their last day in office to commute sentences of people that they felt deserved it…
Thank you God for justice and equality. I would think after serving so many years on crack charges, that she would have enough sense to stay away from it when she gets out.
I’m just saying, whoever you are I agree 100%, I have never in my life seen such biase or hatred or whatever towards a president in my life!!”"”"
Some people are serving life for stealing a candy bar because they have gotten in trouble so many times.The law requires the judge to do it. This woman has to have a long list of arrests in the past to get life for a drug charge
Every president since I can remember has had the “authority” to absolve or commute the prison sentence of various convicted criminals. President Clinton’s were interesting. Usually these events happen in the last few days of their rule. President Obama’s releases have already started? President Obama and A/G Holder might have some releases to write home about. Just wondering?
Amen James,Amen, it needs to commute sentences of the millions it abandoned with Obamacare, so it can provide for the lazy and the ignorant!!!!
I’m glad she’s being released. There are rapist and killers getting off with much less sentence than that, some are not serving any time for there wrong doing. Just face it no matter what the president does he’s not going to please everybody. He not the one who got America in debt that what alot of people fell to realize.ijs
wow all that self righteous posturing must really be exhausting “im just sayin” we have a right to criticize any politic we want as Americans protected under the Constitution.
It’s so apparent by your asinine comments that no matter what OUR President does it will never be to your satifaction, if he was to say the sun is shining bright and you know for a fact that the sun is shining, I’ll bet you would say no it’s not it’s raining. How about those who rape, sodomized, and murder get life. In most cases the time doesn’t fit the crime. And last but most certainly not least..2 TERMS..just get over it already
I say long and lengthy sentences for both crack and powdered cocaine.
I remember when the crack epidemic hit in the late 80s and the damages began to appear. Today I drive through places like Century, Flomaton and my home town of Atmore and see the destruction done to people, lives and family lines destroyed, damaged beyond repair. It makes me sick.
I support pot legalization, but when it comes to Powder or Rock, lock them both away for a long long time.
Another ignorant decision by an ignorant president.
Truly amazing, he has time for commuting sentences for DRUGS, but did not or does not have time to fix America.
So I can drive the get away car in a bank robbery and not really be involved in the robbery. HA HA