Obama commuted the sentences of 22 federal drug offenders

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has commuted the sentences of 22 people serving time in federal prison.

The White House says that many of these individuals - all of them convicted of various federal drug crimes - would have already served their time and paid their debt to society had they been sentenced under current laws and policies.

But because many were convicted under now-outdated sentencing guidelines, the White House says they served years longer than individuals convicted of the same crimes today.

The White House says the commutations are in keeping with Obama's commitment to make the justice system more fair.

With Tuesday's action, the White House says Obama has granted a total of 43 commutations.