14 Illinoisans in Federal Prison See Sentences Commuted by Obama

President Barack Obama shortened the sentences of 214 people Wednesday — including 14 convicts from Illinois — the most commutations in a single day since at least 1900. Nearly all were serving sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, and 67 people were serving life sentences.

Many of the 214 people will be set free at the end of the year, while others will remain locked up another year or two. Some of them will be required to enroll in mandatory drug programs once released.

"All of the individuals receiving commutation today, incarcerated under outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws, embody the president’s belief that 'America is a nation of second chances,' " reads a White House statement announcing the clemencies.

The Illinois commutations include:

Jamonte L. Allison – Carbondale, IL

• Offense: Conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of "crack cocaine"; Southern District of Illinois
• Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $500 fine (Sept. 6, 2005)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1, 2016.

Kenneth Choice – Chicago, IL

• Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver narcotics; possession with intent to deliver narcotics; Northern District of Illinois
• Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (Sept. 24, 1999); amended to life imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (June 9, 2004); amended to 324 months’ imprisonment (Feb. 1, 2016)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1, 2016.

Mark Anthony Clark – Rockford, IL

• Offense: Conspiracy; possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute amphetamine; possession of a firearm by a felon/fugitive from justice and aiding and abetting; Northern District of Texas
• Sentence: Life imprisonment; six years' supervised release (Sept. 1, 1995)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment.

Antonio Cobb – Bloomington, IL

• Offense: Distribution of cocaine base; Central District of Illinois
• Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (Feb. 28, 2003)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months’ imprisonment.

Bobbie Jo Diers – Romeoville, IL

• Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base ("crack"); possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base ("crack"); Central District of Illinois
• Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 12, 2010)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Aug. 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

» READ MORE about the Bobbie Joe Diers commutation on Romeoville Patch

Will A. Goines, Jr. – Chicago, IL

• Offense: Distribution of cocaine base ("crack") (three counts); Central District of Illinois
• Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (June 14, 2010)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment.

Christopher J. Heath – Ridgway, IL

• Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture more than 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; Southern District of Illinois
• Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $500 fine (February 24, 2006)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Aug. 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

Courtney D. Hurt – Tamms, IL

• Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base; Southern District of Illinois
• Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (July 25, 2008)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Aug. 3, 2018, and unpaid balance of $1,000 fine remitted, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

Albert Jackson – Mount Vernon, IL

• Offense: 1. Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; distribution of cocaine; 2. Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine; Central District of Illinois
• Sentence: 1. 262 months' imprisonment; 2. 480 months' imprisonment (consecutive); 1. 10 years' supervised release; 2. eight years' supervised release (1. August 19, 1991; 2. Nov. 7, 1994)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1, 2016.

Charlie Lawuary – Springfield, IL

• Offense: Possession of controlled substance with intent to distribute; Central District of Illinois
• Sentence: Life imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (July 27, 1998)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Aug. 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

Tommy M. Martinez – Sparta, IL

• Offense: Conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine; Southern District of Illinois
• Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $4,000 fine (April 7, 2000)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1, 2016, and unpaid balance of the $4,000 fine remitted.

Alphonso P. Rubalcava – Rock Island, IL

• Offense: Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Central District of Illinois
• Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 19, 2002); amended to 327 months' imprisonment (June 22, 2007)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1, 2016.

Kelvin Jerome Shears, Jr. – Rock Island, IL

• Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Southern District of Iowa
• Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (April 23, 2007)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 1, 2016.

Martin Souza – Chicago, IL

• Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine; Northern District of Ohio
• Sentence: Life imprisonment (Dec. 15, 1999)
• Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on Aug. 3, 2017.

"In each of these cases, the president examines the application on its individual merits. As a result, the relief afforded is tailored specifically to each applicant’s case," explained White House counsel Neil Eggleston.

The president has been pushing hard for shorter sentences for nonviolent criminals.

Since the so-called "War on Drugs" began in the 1980s, the number of people in jail for drug offenses increased from 41,000 in 1980 to nearly half a million in 2014, according to The Sentencing Project, and one in nine people are serving life sentences. Advocates for reducing prison populations say that sentences of nonviolent offenses should be capped at 20 years.