Commutation of sentence
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Commutation of sentence involves the reduction of legal penalties, especially in terms of imprisonment. Unlike a pardon, a commutation does not nullify the conviction and is often conditional.
In the United States, reduction of a sentence is handled by an executive head of government and is normally linked to prisoners' good behavior.[1] The President of the United States solely holds the power to commute federal sentences[2] while commutations of state charges are handled by the governor's office.[3]
On January 19, 2009, on his last day in office, George W. Bush issued a commutation for Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, two former U.S. border patrol agents convicted in 2006 of shooting and wounding an illegal alien (the immigrant was suspected of drug smuggling at the time). They were both released on February 17, 2009, rather than in 2018 and 2019 as what was initially expected.[4][5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Legal Explanations Commutation Retrieved on April 21, 2007
- ^ Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution Power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States Retrieved on July 9, 2007
- ^ U.S. Department of Justice Commutation Instructions Retrieved on July 3, 2007
- ^ "Bush commutes sentences of former Border Patrol agents". CNN. 2009-01-19. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/19/bush.commute/index.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
- ^ "In the Nation - Two ex-agents go free from prison". Philadelphia Inquirer. 2009-02-18. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20090218_In_the_Nation.html?text=reg&posted=y&viewAll=y. Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
[edit] External links
- US Department of Justice pardon and commutation statistics by presidential administration (1945-2001)
- US Department of Justice instructions for submitting a commutation of sentence
- New York Times – Bush Commutes Libby Prison Sentence
- New York Times – President Clinton's 2001 defense of his pardons and commutations before he left office.
