NCJ Number
215554
Date Published
2006
Length
61 pages
Annotation
This 2005 Annual Report of the U.S. Sentencing Commission addresses the sentencing guidelines and their amendments, legal issues, guideline training and education, and research.
Abstract
The U.S. Sentencing Commission is an independent agency in the judicial branch of the Federal Government. Its principal purposes are to establish sentencing policies and practices for the Federal court; to advise and assist Congress, the Federal judiciary, and the executive branch in the development of effective and efficient crime policy; and to collect, analyze, research, and distribute information on Federal crime and sentencing issues. This report's chapter on the sentencing guidelines summarizes guideline amendments and the work of policy teams. The latter are Commission staff teams that study a specific subject, profile relevant sentencing practices in that area, identify areas of concern, and recommend options for Commission action. This chapter also reports on the work of advisory groups, which provide input on ways to improve the sentencing guidelines. The chapter on legal issues reports on the Commission's work in monitoring the sentencing decisions of the Federal courts. This chapter addresses some of the more significant sentencing-related issues decided by the U.S. Supreme Court and the courts of appeals during fiscal year 2005. The chapter on guidelines training and education reports on the Commission's Internet Web site, public information services, publications and training materials, and training programs conducted in 2005. The chapter on the Commission's research pertains to its activities in providing a clearinghouse and information center for the collection, preparation, and dissemination of information on Federal sentencing practices; the publishing of data on the sentencing process; collecting and disseminating information on sentences imposed; and collecting and disseminating information on the effectiveness of these sentences. 91 footnotes