President Barack Obama has reduced the prison terms of 325 inmates this month.
WASHINGTON -- Three New Jersey residents sentenced to life imprisonment had their sentences commuted by President Barack Obama as he continued to reduce penalties for those incarcerated for drug-related crimes.
The New Jersey prisoners were among 111 people who had their sentences shortened by the president. Earlier this month, he commuted the sentences of 214 other prisoners, including three from the Garden State, who also were found guilty of drug-related offenses.
"They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes, for example, the 35 individuals whose life sentences were commuted," White House counsel Neil Eggleston said.
Obama now has commuted the sentences of 325 prisoners in August, more in one month than any president in almost 100 years granted during a 12-month period.
Obama commutes sentences of N.J. prisoners
The three men from New Jersey whose sentences were commuted were:
-- Eugene Kenneth Brinson of Newark, sentenced Sept. 8, 2006, to life imprisonment and 10 years supervised release for possessing and planning to distribute cocaine, heroin and marijuana. His prison term was reduced 240 months behind bars.
-- Mark Foster of Waterford Works, sentenced July 12, 2002, to life plus 60 months in prison and 10 years supervised release for possessing and intending to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine and for having a gun during a drug trafficking crime. His prison term was reduced to 240 months.
-- Mark Lanzilotti of Sewell, sentenced April 4, 2002, to life imprisonment and 10 years supervised release for planning to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, and for manufacturing the drug. His initial sentence was reduced to 360 months imprisonment on Aug. 7, 2006. Obama commuted his term to 240 months behind bars.
Obama has sought to overhaul criminal justice laws that require nonviolent drug offenders to be sentenced to prison rather than treatment.
"Only the passage of legislation can achieve the broader reforms needed to ensure our federal sentencing system operates more fairly and effectively in the service of public safety," Eggleston said.
Bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who has made criminal justice a priority during his first full term in office, has yet to be brought to the floor by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Obama visited Newark in November 2015 to highlight efforts to allow those released from prison to successfully return to society.
"We need to make sure Americans who paid their debt to society can earn a second chance," Obama said at the time.
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie has signed legislation requiring some nonviolent offenders to undergo drug treatment rather than be sentenced to prison. State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), who has indicated he plans to run for governor in 2017, also cited a 2008 law he sponsored that eliminated most mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.