Smyrna Drug Offender's Sentence Commuted by President Obama

President Obama announced Thursday that he will commute the sentences of 58 non-violent drug offenders, who will be set free from prison over the next few years.

One of those whose sentence was commuted is Vernon Copeland's, who was convicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and three counts of money laundering. The Smyrna man was sentenced to 360 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release.

His prison sentence has been commuted to expire on September 2, 2016.

Obama has made criminal justice reform a focal point of his presidency, including shortening prison sentences for non-violent criminals.

"It just doesn’t make sense to require a nonviolent drug offender to serve 20 years, or in some cases, life, in prison," the president wrote in a post on Medium. "An excessive punishment like that doesn’t fit the crime. It’s not serving taxpayers, and it’s not making us safer."

He cut short the sentences of 61 drug offenders in March.

Many of the people whose sentences Obama commuted Thursday will be released on September 2 of this year. The rest will be released over the course of the next two years.

• You can see the full list of offenders who will be released here.

Image via the White House