Statement by Nexus Services, Inc. CEO Mike Donovan on Historic Commutations by President Obama

VERONA, Va., Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexus Services, Inc. CEO Mike Donovan issued the following statement regarding President Obama's historic commutations of 214 federal inmates.

"On behalf of the Nexus Services family of companies, I applaud President Obama's historic decision to grant clemency to 214 nonviolent federal inmates. Most of these individuals were low-level drug offenders and many were serving life sentences under outdated sentencing guidelines.

"Nexus was founded on the belief that every human life has inherent worth and dignity. Unfortunately, far too often, our criminal justice system neglects to recognize this basic fact. The result of this are cycles of incarceration that have disproportionately targeted minority communities, ripped apart families, and burdened taxpayers. This has to stop.

"While the President's commutations are a much welcome step, more has to be done. Accordingly, I urge the Congressional leadership to support the bipartisan effort to reform our broken criminal justice system. The lives of the thousands of nonviolent offenders who are sitting in our jails, many of whom are innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted, are too important to wait for acts of presidential pardons and clemency.

"I further urge Governor McAuliffe of the Commonwealth of Virginia to follow this act by President Obama and issue his own round of commutations and pardons. Prisons in the Commonwealth of Virginia are full of people serving long sentences for crimes that in other jurisdictions wouldn't likely result in any term of imprisonment.

"The over incarceration of Americans, and specifically Virginians, is a wrong that disproportionately affects socio-economically disadvantaged communities and communities of color. We must act in concert to right this wrong and emerge from a period of our history clouded by racial prejudice and a disregard for the poor and downtrodden."

SOURCE Nexus Services, Inc.