washington april 2014 administration president barack obama announce ambitious clemency program 40 years invite thousands jail drug offenders convict seek early release urge lawyers across country take case nearly two years late program struggle deluge unprocessed case spark concern within administration among justice reform advocate fate mean legacy-defining achievement obama 8,000 case 44,000 federal inmates apply yet make u.s. department justice doj review lawyers involve program tell reuters addition 9,000 case still pending doj accord department figure 187 inmates sentence commute far thousands expect justice reform advocate tiny fraction 2.2 million people behind bar unite state world high incarceration rate administration say want decide applications obama term end next january program automatically expire senior doj official tell reuters call lawyers group clemency project 2014 simply hand outstanding case without vet say work fast enough far group estimate hand around 200 case criminal justice experts say administration bear much blame idea tap pro-bono attorneys help vet case originate doj critics say prepare staff handle large volume applications unfair criticize volunteer group ask help say rachel barkow criminal law professor new york university study clemency u.s. prisons estimate 1,500 prisoners eligible commutation say 187 grant far fulfill promise program doj decline comment ask response criticism delay leave prisoners like linda byrnes 69 limbo think clemency people like byrnes tell reuters electronic message system federal prison alderson west virginia byrnes spend 20 years prison distribute marijuana two years leave sentence recently diagnose mouth cancer yet hear whether assign lawyer submit application clemency project august 2014. obama commute sentence past five presidents combine stern critic harsh u.s. sentence policies say disproportionately burden minorities federal life sentence fall since obama take office 280 fiscal year 2009 153 2013 accord u.s. sentence commission three quarter sentence give minorities non-violent offences report say clemency project 2014 say comment publicly individuals represent group vet applications write petition send justice department office pardon attorney oversee pardon sentence commutations make recommendations president approval far 25,000 34,000 applications receive clemency project reject fail meet basic criteria record violence significant tie gang drug cartel good behavior prison completion least 10 years sentence 10,000 inmates go clemency project either apply directly doj pay attorney really would sad state affairs individuals ask lawyer consider time petition never reach pardon attorney office doj official tell reuters condition anonymity graphic clemency bottleneck tmsnrt.rs/1vthxvt large number mostly unqualified applications shortage lawyers complexity case slow progress say cynthia roseberry project manager clemency project 2014 lot gray areas say roseberry estimate take 30 days one lawyer review one case average get unpack applicants see specifically factor affect ... take little time include find pre-sentencing report case determine person would receive short sentence current law review prison behavior record roseberry say group unaware request justice department hand pending applications roseberry say group initially slow pace pick recent months justice department decline elaborate private communication lawyers pardon attorney office bring personnel part department help speed review petition doj official say roseberry say 3,000 applicants still need assign lawyer certain whether group able submit applications receive obama leave office group 570 law firm 30 law school contribute effort reject prisoners yet hear decision say believe would good chance send clemency petition directly government josie ledezma sentence life conspiracy transport cocaine apply clemency clemency project 2014. say hear six months late learn assign lawyer shut legal practice january nearly one year apply tell clemency project 2014 could help encourage apply directly write back ask make qualify never get response ledezma tell reuters electronic message service federal prisoners obama 's prisoner clemency plan falter case pile