President Obama has commuted the sentences of 22 people the White House says were serving “outdated” sentences for drug crimes. Eight of the prisoners had been sentenced to life in prison, and all were prosecuted for intent to distribute an illegal drug. Obama has commuted the sentences of a small group of prisoners since the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 reduced sentencing disparities between users of crack cocaine and powdered cocaine to address a racial imbalance in prison terms. But the law did not apply retroactively. Last year, the Justice Department widened the criteria for clemency to consider nonviolent felons who have served at least 10 years behind bars and who would have received shorter terms had they not been sentenced under old laws.