NCJ Number
124417
Date Published
1990
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The management of the U.S. Sentencing Commission is reviewed and recommendations are made to Congress and the Commission to address operational weaknesses.
Abstract
Created in 1984 to develop guidelines for use by federal judges in sentencing criminals, the Commission has missed all its deadlines for establishing a system to monitor sentences imposed under the guidelines that became effective November 1987 and has yet to complete a basic design to evaluate the impact of the guidelines. The constitutional challenge, responsible in part for these delays, was resolved a year ago. Several factors contribute to the organizational confusion, also responsible for the delays: failure to establish, until recently, clear lines of authority for the staff director as well as a plan for guiding Commission efforts through the post-guideline development period; possible conflict between the research led by an individual commissioner and staff research along with a lack of accountability for another research project; and vacancies and turnover in key Commission positions. Recommendations to overcome these problems include exploring directly with the Commission ways to strengthen the staff director's role; establishing Congressional oversight for monitoring and evaluation activities; prohibiting commissioner-led research projects not consistent with an overall research agenda; and developing a long-range plan to guide the Commission through its next several years.