Obama grants 98 more commutations , setting single-year clemency record .
As of Oct. 7 , Obama has granted just 5.5 % of commutation applications -- still more than many of his predecessors . 
President Obama broke the record for commuting the most sentences in a single year , just one of the few records he has broken using his clemency power . 
WASHINGTON -- President Obama granted 98 more commutations to federal inmates Thursday , bringing the total for this year to 688 -- the most commutations ever granted by a president in a single year . 
The actions were part of Obama 's extraordinary effort to use his constitutional power to rectify what he sees as unduly harsh sentences imposed during the "War on Drugs ." 
The longest of those : David Neighbors , a 34-year-old man from Evansville , Ind. , whose 2008 life sentence for cocaine trafficking Obama commuted to 30 years . 
But while Obama 's commutation grants get most of the attention , he 's also been quietly denying a record number of commutations at the same time -- a function of the unprecedented number of applications submitted through the clemency initiative . 
As part of an increasing practice of attaching conditions to his commutations , Obama required inmates with a documented history of drug use to enroll in a residential drug treatment program before being released . 
On Oct. 6 , for example , the White House announced that Obama granted 102 commutations .
As of Oct. 7 , [TGT] has granted just 5.5 % of commutation applications -- still more than many of [TGT] predecessors . 
[TGT] broke the record for commuting the most sentences in a single year , just one of the few records [TGT] has broken using [TGT] clemency power . 
WASHINGTON -- [TGT] granted 98 more commutations to federal inmates Thursday , bringing the total for this year to 688 -- the most commutations ever granted by a president in a single year . 
The actions were part of [TGT] 's extraordinary effort to use [TGT] constitutional power to rectify what [TGT] sees as unduly harsh sentences imposed during the "War on Drugs ." 
The longest of those : David Neighbors , a 34-year-old man from Evansville , Ind. , whose 2008 life sentence for cocaine trafficking [TGT] commuted to 30 years . 
But while [TGT] 's commutation grants get most of the attention , [TGT] 's also been quietly denying a record number of commutations at the same time -- a function of the unprecedented number of applications submitted through the clemency initiative . 
As part of an increasing practice of attaching conditions to [TGT] commutations , [TGT] required inmates with a documented history of drug use to enroll in a residential drug treatment program before being released . 
On Oct. 6 , for example , the White House announced that [TGT] granted 102 commutations .