For Immediate Release:
November 23, 2016
Contact:
Matthew Nocella, (202) 724-8105
mnocella@dccouncil.us
Grosso urges President Obama to grant clemency to D.C. offenders
Washington, D.C. – Councilmember David Grosso sent a letter today to the President of the United States asking him to grant clemency to individuals who fit the requirements of his broad clemency initiatives that have been convicted of offenses under the D.C. Code. The following is his statement:
“President Obama deserves praise for the impressive work he’s done to combat the harms perpetrated as part of the inequitable War on Drugs by providing a second chance to over 1,000 non-violent drug offenders.
“In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I sent a letter urging him to take D.C. Code offenders into special consideration in his final two months before an administration takes over that is unlikely to continue such an initiative.
“As president of the United States, he is uniquely situated as the sole source of relief for those convicted of such crimes under the local laws of the District of Columbia. Due to D.C.’s continued second-class status, our mayor has no such authority similar to chief executives in other jurisdictions. D.C. has made progress recently to end ill-informed policies that put too many people in prison. However, we are unable to repair the damage they have already done.
“My staff and I stand ready to assist in this effort and further this cause in any way we can. I will continue to look for ways to reform the criminal justice system in the District of Columbia as I enter my second term representing all residents on the Council.”
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