An Oregon woman who has spent 17 years in prison on federal drug charges is among those granted clemency by President Obama Friday.
Obama shortened the sentences of 95 people, and pardoned two others.
Angie Jenkins was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine with her husband in Klamath Falls in 1998. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Steve Sady, a federal public defender for Oregon, helped Jenkins with her clemency petition.
“We’d love to see her home for Christmas, but we don’t know if that will happen,” said Sady.
He says Jenkins is overwhelmed and grateful that she will be released early. She’s eager to see her mother, her children, and her grandchildren.
Thousands of federal inmates have applied for clemency.
The Obama administration says it wants to release people who were sentenced under old, harsher drug laws. Inmates who have served at least 10 years and demonstrated good conduct in prison are eligible.
Obama has granted only a small fraction of the requests for clemency.
Sady says Jenkins was an ideal candidate.
"She is really fully deserving of the commutation. She did great in prison, and fully acknowledges that her behavior is wrong. She's done everything she could to redeem herself."
He said Jenkins is troubled by how many of her fellow inmates are serving unnecessarily long sentences, and hopes that more people will be able to benefit from the clemency program.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
