Nine people from Illinois are among the 95 whose prison sentences have been commuted by President Barack Obama. All of those from Illinois were convicted of non-violent drug offenses. Most involved cocaine distribution.
They included Alton Mills of Chicago. He has served 22 years of a mandatory life sentence for cocaine distribution. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said in a news release that he had pushed to help Mills. Durbin said Mills is a victim of what the senator called "disproportionately harsh" sentencing laws.
Others whose sentences were commuted Friday are Jose Aviles, Calvin C. Gillings and Amador Rodriguez, all of Chicago; Edward Betts of Carbondale; Eugene L. Haywood of Peoria; Eric L. Orington of Danville; LaShawn D. Patton of Cahokia; and Monica Ann White of Rock Island.