Pennsylvania's Sentencing Reform - The Impact of Commission-Established Guidelines

• NCJ Number: 99748
• Journal: Crime and Delinquency Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1985) Pages: 481-500
• Author(s): J H Kramer; R L Lubitz
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 20 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Sentencing guidelines have attracted extensive attention as a rational approach to sentencing reform despite little evidence that guidelines act to reduce disparity or increase fairness.

Abstract

This article reports on a major assessment of Pennsylvania's commission-developed guidelines. The findings indicate that the Commission's guidelines have had a substantial impact on sentencing. The article focuses particularly on race, county size, and disparity measures in evaluating the impact of the guidelines. The findings support the conclusion that commission-based guidelines can effect meaningful sentencing reform. (Author abstract)