The Student News Site of Buffalo High School

Bison Beat Online

The Student News Site of Buffalo High School

Bison Beat Online

The Student News Site of Buffalo High School

Bison Beat Online

Chelsea Manning sentence should not have been reduced

Chelsea+Manning+sentence+should+not+have+been+reduced

One of Barack Obama’s top priorities has been getting people out of prison who are serving serious time for minor crimes. Earlier this week, Obama cut down hundreds of sentences, such as many who were serving time for minor drug charges. A major sentence Obama cut was ex-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who used to go by Bradley Manning.

In 2010, Manning leaked classified documents to WikiLeaks. The documents included State Deputy cables and sensitive information on an United States helicopter attack in Iraq that killed civilians.  The United States government said this was treason and gave her an 35-year sentence. She has already been in jail for nearly seven years of her sentence, and will now be released in four months.

Reducing Manning’s sentence by such a large amount is not acceptable.

A White House official says Obama’s decision on reducing Manning’s sentence was partly made out of concern that her sentence was excessive compared to similar cases, as well as a concern for her life in a male prison. Last year, Manning started to receive gender-changing hormone treatments from the United States military while in prison.

There were other options to completely commuting her sentence. Obama could have reduced her sentence to ten more years and transferred her to a female prison. She could receive treatment from a psychiatrist to help with her mental stability. Male or female, Manning put the country into danger with her actions and deserves to have to serve out her sentence. Commuting sentences for minor offenders is one thing; cutting a national traitor a 28-year break on treason is another. Obama was wrong.

 

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