John Legend has written an open letter to the POTUS urging him to make history by  bringing justice to the thousands of families of non-violent drug offenders” before he leaves office because he wasn’t sure the Trump administration would do anything about it.
The letter which was published in RollingStone reads:
“First of all, I would like to thank you for your friendship and for your outstanding service to our country. I’m particularly grateful for the concrete steps your administration has taken to provide opportunities to tens of millions of young people and families who have been impacted by mass incarceration.
Your administration took bold steps to end juvenile solitary confinement, reduce the use of federal private prisons and move to “ban the box” for federal employees.
While we hope the Trump administration and the 115th Congress will maintain this progress and continue to work in a bipartisan manner to reform our criminal justice system, it is unclear what their priorities will be and when families can expect justice.
Before you leave office, I would like to add my voice to the more than 2 million Americans who have asked you to use your clemency and pardon powers to bring justice to the thousands of families of non-violent drug offenders who have waited far too long for Congress to act.
In 2014, you set out to reinvigorate our country’s approach to clemency. Your actions to commute the sentences of 944 individuals, including 324 life sentences, is unprecedented in the modern era. Nonetheless, more action is needed to dismantle the unjust policies of the past 40 years.
An estimated 36,000 non-violent drug offenders housed in federal prisons have sought relief under your clemency initiative and it is unclear how many of the remaining cases will be reviewed before you leave.
As the Surgeon General noted, drug addiction is not a moral failing but a chronic health issue deserving of our compassion.
What is a moral failing, however, is the War on Drugs and America’s addiction to incarceration which has not increased safety but needlessly torn families apart….”
Read full letter here.