NCJ Number
104042
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 48 Issue: 8 Dated: (December 1986) Pages: 24 -31
Date Published
1986
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Sentencing Commission created by the comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 has been set up to elucidate guidelines by April 1987 for future sentencing in the Federal system; it must provide sentencing policies and practices that guarantee fairness and certainty for the Federal criminal justice system.
Abstract
The guidelines are to give direction to judges in deciding whether to sentence a convicted defendant to probation, a fine, or imprisonment. They are to set forth a sentencing range for every offense category and will decide upon appropriate offense severity ranking. They will decide which offender characteristics are significant and the weight or extent of their significance concerning the defendant. Probation officers' duties under the new system include a higher level of expertise in policy use and application. The Federal system will discontinue indeterminate sentencing and instead use a determinate sentencing system. The Control Act calls for the abolishment of the Parole Commission 5 years after the commencement of implementation of the guidelines. The effective date for enactment should be November 1987.