Sentencing Options of Federal District Judges

• NCJ Number: 93124
• Author(s): A Partridge; A J Chaset; W B Eldridge
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 60 pages
• Corporate Author: Federal Judicial Ctr
• Sale Source: Federal Judicial Ctr; National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: June 1983 Revision

Annotation

Intended primarily for newly appointed Federal district judges, this booklet covers basic sentencing options for adult offenders, special sentences for young offenders and narcotic addicts, and the use of observation and study as an aid to the sentencing judge. Also considered are 'good time,' determining the date of release from incarceration and the duration of parole supervision, conditions of imprisonment, and judicial communication with the Parole Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Abstract

The basic sentencing options reviewed for adult offenders are imprisonment, residence in a halfway house, fines, probation, and restitution. In discussing 'good time,' the authors advise that its award does not in itself advance the offender's release date: that is the effect only if the offender would not otherwise be paroled before the mandatory date. One chapter is devoted to determining the date of release for those receiving sentences of a year and a day or more; attention is given to Parole Commission procedures and criteria for release decisions. Another chapter considers limits on Parole Commission discretion, guidelines for early termination of supervision, parole revocation, and special parole terms under Title 21. The discussion of the conditions of incarceration focuses on management objectives of the Bureau of Prisons, initial inmate assignments, inmate transfers, and voluntary surrender procedure. The chapter dealing with special sentences for young offenders explains the purpose and application of the Federal Youth Corrections Act; another section interprets application of the Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act. Advice is offered on the use of local sentencing studies as well as Bureau of Prisons studies. The final chapter discusses judicial communication with the Parole Commission and the Bureau of Prisons. Appendixes contain the Parole Commission statement on the use of 'offense behavior' and an excerpt from the Report of the Committee of Conference on the Parole Commission Act.