- The Commission promulgates guidelines that judges consult when sentencing federal offenders. When the guidelines are amended, a subsequent Guidelines Manual is published.
- In this section, you will find the Commission’s comprehensive archive of yearly amendments and Guidelines Manuals dating back to 1987.
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(Published March 23, 2020) The 2019 Annual Report and Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics is a compilation of tables and figures presenting national, circuit, and district sentencing data for fiscal year 2019. The Commission collected and analyzed more than 350,000 court documents in the production of this year’s Sourcebook.
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(Published March 3, 2020) This 5-part podcast series covers areas of the guideline application that were particularly challenging to attendees of the 2019 National Seminar. Topics include relevant conduct, grouping, and criminal history rules.
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(Published February 27, 2020) For the first time, this report provides in-depth criminal history information about federal economic crime offenders, finding that these offenders do not “specialize” in economic crime.
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(Published February 3, 2020) The Commission released new information on resentencings pursuant to Section 404 of the First Step Act of 2018—the section of the Act that gave retroactive effect to changes made by the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010.
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(Published January 22, 2020) This report examines variations in sentencing practices across judicial districts since the Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in United States v. Booker.
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This document provides brief summaries of select Supreme Court cases that involve the guidelines and other aspects of federal sentencing that may be of current interest.
About the Commission
The U.S. Sentencing Commission, a bipartisan, independent agency located in the judicial branch of government, was created by Congress in 1984 to reduce sentencing disparities and promote transparency and proportionality in sentencing.
The Commission collects, analyzes, and distributes a broad array of information on federal sentencing practices. The Commission also continuously establishes and amends sentencing guidelines for the judicial branch and assists the other branches in developing effective and efficient crime policy. Learn the basics of federal sentencing.
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Resources
Research NotesResearch Notes give background information on the technical details of the Commission’s data collection process and provide answers to common data analysis questions.
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Resources
Decision TreesHow do the guidelines apply in a case with multiple counts? How do you score criminal history convictions? Follow the decision trees to answer these questions.
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PrimersWant to learn more about relevant statutes, case law and guidelines on a specific topic? Discover our primers that focus on topics ranging from drug trafficking to criminal history to supervised release....
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Resources
Quick FactsQuick Facts publications give readers basic facts about a single area of federal crime in an easy-to-read, two-page format. The Commission releases new Quick Facts periodically.
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In-District Training RequestsIf you are a district training coordinator, judge, CJA panel rep, or federal defender, contact us for a customized training session.
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WorksheetsUse these worksheets to help determine the applicable offense level, criminal history score, and guideline range in an individual offender’s case.
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Glossary of Sentencing TermsUnclear about some of the terms found in the Guidelines Manual? This glossary covers everything from “Abuse of Trust” to “Zone D”.