Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 46 drug offenders, saying in a video posted online Monday that the men and women were not "hardened criminals" and their punishments didn't match the crimes they committed.
Obama said the move was part of his larger attempt to reform the criminal justice system, including reviewing sentencing laws and reducing punishments for non-violent crimes.
"I believe that at its heart, America is a nation of second chances, and I believe these folks deserve their second chance," Obama said in the video.
The move brings the number of Obama's commutations to nearly 90. Most of those have been for federal prisoners incarcerated for drug offenses, who under current sentencing guidelines would have already finished serving time in prison.
The White House on Monday posted a letter Obama wrote to one of the prisoners whose sentence was commuted.
More: www.cnn.com
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