NCJ Number
85707
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1982) Pages: 12-15
Date Published
1982
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This proposal recommends the establishment of a sentencing commission of experienced trial judges to assess the harm done by an offender and establish a restitution program that will repay the victim and the state.
Abstract
The proposed commission would approve or disapprove all prosecutive plea bargains reducing or enhancing charges once an offender has been indicted by a grand jury. Further, the commission would assess the degree of harm done by an offender and set a judgment in money damages. An important factor for successful restitution is the provision of adequate work facilities for convicted offenders who are unemployed. Nonviolent offenders should be allowed to live where they choose while working at conventional jobs in state-run or supervised industries. These proposals should be implemented at the State level. Issues regarding implementation, including the manner of assessment of particular offenses, should be debated in State legislatures. The activities of the commission will increase the cost of crime to the offender and thus help deter crime, while relieving the suffering of the victim and reducing the cost to the taxpayer of criminal justice administration. Six footnotes are provided.