NEWBERRY, S.C.—Douglas Lindsay was supposed to serve life in prison for a first-time, nonviolent drug crime.
But in July, after 19 years, Lindsay was one of 46 federal inmates to be granted clemency by President Barack Obama.
Last year, as a component of his push for criminal justice reform, Obama announced he would grant clemency to nonviolent drug offenders, and he’s since reduced more prison sentences than any president since Lyndon B. Johnson.
Clemency is one part of a bipartisan effort to ease prison overcrowding and undue harsh sentences imposed in the 1980s and ’90s.
As he was officially freed in early November, The Daily Signal traveled to Newberry, S.C. to spend time with one of those lucky beneficiaries, Lindsay, to chronicle his first moments of freedom and his adjustment to the outside.
In the video, Lindsay, 47, expresses regret for his misdeeds, reflects on all he lost, and vows to make good on his second chance at life.
If you are interested in reading more about Lindsay’s case and his efforts to rebuild his life, click here.
