NCJ Number
137987
Date Published
1991
Length
424 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes four studies designed by the Sentencing Commission in response to its statutory evaluation mandate: an implementation study that examines the operation of the guidelines and studies of the impact of the guidelines on sentencing disparity, use of incarceration, and prosecutorial discretion and plea bargaining.
Abstract
Preliminary findings suggest that the process of guideline implementation is progressing steadily with clear indications of increasing acceptance and success despite occasional problems and unevenness among jurisdictions. Guideline sentencing now appears to be the norm in Federal courts. More than three-fourths of the fiscal year 1991 defendants are subject to the new law. Recognizing an ongoing need for effective training programs and materials, the Commission trained more than 12,000 judges and practitioners on guideline application and sentencing procedure from 1989 through the first 10 months of 1991. 476 footnotes, 145 tables, and 5 appendixes