NCJ Number
138673
Date Published
1992
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This booklet proposes a new statement on sentencing policy in the United States.
Abstract
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) considers the presumed value of mandatory minimum prison terms and recommends a more rational basis for responding to offenders. Thirteen position statements address sentencing philosophy, sentencing options, prison sentences, the release decision, and research. NCCD proposes that objective criteria should be adopted at every stage of the sentencing process and that victims' interests should be represented effectively in the sentencing decision. The policy statement also recommends that the court consider the gravity of the offense, the offender's current risk to public safety, offender rehabilitation and treatment needs, and the relative costs- benefits of each available sanction. NCCD identifies the need to re-evaluate the sentencing policy experiment of the last 20 years and its accompanying correctional population growth and to chart a more rational direction based on lessons learned. 5 tables and 34 references