|
(Health-NewsWire.Net, July 23, 2015 ) West Palm Beach, FL -- A Palm Beach County man who had been serving a life sentence for selling two ounces of crack cocaine was among the 46 people whose prison sentences were commuted by president Barack Obama.
Mark Anthony Jones, a 53-year old man from Boynton Beach has been in prison for over 16 years as a result of selling crack cocaine in the federal Northern District of Florida. However, after being granted clemency, Jones is now scheduled to be released on November 10th of this year, according to a news release issued by the White House.
Jones had been sentenced to life by a federal judge in Tallahassee in July of 1999 after he pleaded guilty to distributing about two ounces of crack cocaine, according to records. He will now be released from the Coleman federal prison in Central Florida and transitioned into a halfway house in the upcoming months and will then qualify for release, according to U.S. Bureau of Prison policy.
According to Sun Sentinel, Jones represented himself as his own lawyer in which he made a series of unsuccessful attempts to have his sentenced reduced. Jones was very active during his term, during his prison term, he took advantage of available educational opportunities, trained as a dental assistant and worked as a mentor within the prison, according to records he filed in 2011. According to Jones' brother Clinton Jones, Mark read a lot of legal books while in prison and with the help of his family, he filed his own petition for a sentence commutation.
Jones already has a job set up for when he's released from prison in the upcoming months, he will work for his brothers renovation business.
Obama's decision to release 46 non-violent offenders early is a component of the Obama administration's plan to make the criminal justice system more fair, according to authorities. Members from both sides of the issue have agreed that some of the mandatory sentences assigned to some drug cases were too harsh.
Out of the 46 prisoners who will have their sentence commuted, fourteen of them, including Jones, were serving life sentences. All of the 26 had been sentenced to over 15 years in prison and majority were serving over 20 years. It has been predicted that Obama will approve more commutations and pardons before his presidential term is over.
A medical associate from West Palm Beach Drug Rehab comments "I think what President Obama is doing is great! Yes, we can all agree that drug dealers are the cause of drugs flooding our streets, however I don't agree that they should serve life time sentences in some cases. Mr. Jones was sentenced to life in prison for selling about 2 ounces of crack cocaine, I agree he should have been penalized but life in prison is very harsh. It appears as if Jones was an upstanding man despite his past with selling drugs. He could've went to prison and joined gangs and been malicious, but instead he educated himself and learned a trade. I hope that whoever the next president is, that they follow in the steps of Obama and continue working towards making the criminal justice system more fair."
West Palm Beach Drug Rehab is a leading addiction treatment center in West Palm Beach, Florida which specializes in providing comprehensive treatment services to recovering addicts. The facility is medically monitored and supported 24/7 allowing patients around the clock care. West Palm Beach Drug rehab is dedicated to ensuring the every patient achieves a complete and successful recovery upon completion of their treatment.
For additional information on the addiction treatment services available at West Palm Beach Drug Rehab, visit their website at http://westpalmbeachdrugrehab.org/ or call the center directly at (561) 513-5749.
About West Palm Beach Drug Rehab:
West Palm Beach Drug Rehab is a leading addiction treatment in the South Florida area, committed to saving lives from addiction, one day at a time.
West Palm Beach Drug Rehab
West Palm Beach Drug Rehab West Palm Beach Drug Rehab
(561) 513-5749
info@westpalmbeachrehab.org
Source: EmailWire.Com 
|
