Obama publicou uma excelente e corajosa reflexão, na Harvard Law Review, sobre o papel do Presidente no avanço da reforma da justiça criminal nos EUA.
Permito-me chamar a atenção para a secção intitulada Reinvigorating Clemency, confrontando-a com a clemência presidencial portuguesa, parca e envergonhada.
Through considering grants of clemency to individuals in the federal
system, the President gains a unique vantage point into the fairness
of federal sentences. While not a substitute for the lasting change
that can be achieved by passage of legislation, the clemency power
represents an important and underutilized tool for advancing reform. The Framers gave the President this authority to remedy individual
cases of injustice,128 and the Supreme Court has made clear that this
power is entrusted to the President’s discretion, unimpeded by congressional
limits.
