NCJ Number
99211
Date Published
1985
Length
313 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and results of an evaluation of the multijurisdictional, voluntary use of sentencing guidelines to reduce sentencing disparity in selected jurisdictions of Florida and Maryland.
Abstract
This research began in 1978 with a grant from the National Institute of Justice to the Mitre Corporation for the development of a plan for a multijurisdictional test of sentencing guidelines. The evaluation involved process, impact, and compliance analyses. The process analysis examined the manner in which sentencing guidelines were developed in each jurisdiction and the way they were used by judges and other system participants. Data collection for this analysis used interviews with system participants, a questionnaire survey, observation and documentation, and the examination of resource materials. The impact analysis assessed the effects of guidelines implementation on sentencing uniformity and severity. This analysis relied primarily on information about actual sentencing decisions for burglary cases, with data obtained from court records. The compliance analysis examined the evidence on procedural and substantive compliance with the guidelines in the test jurisdictions. Data were obtained from interviews with judges, analyses of guidelines score sheets, and an analysis of the burglary case data. Both States had considerable accomplishments in moving toward a guideline system, but sentencing disparity, with one exception in a large urban jurisdiction, was not reduced. Compliance fell well below expectations. These findings do not invalidate the effectiveness of sentencing guidelines, but rather provide information useful in the further evolution and refinement of guidelines theory and practice. Graphic and tabular data are provided. For the technical appendixes, see NCJ 99210.