- 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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(June 8, 2020) You've got questions, IDA has data. The Interactive Data Analyzer (IDA) is an online tool that can be used to explore, filter, customize, and visualize federal sentencing data for research, policymaking, and sentencing purposes.
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The Commission continues to develop eLearning resources to assist judges, probation officers, law clerks, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and others in understanding and applying the guidelines.
Basics of Federal Sentencing
Basics of Relevant Conduct
Basics of Criminal History -
Use the web-based Guidelines App to find the applicable sentencing guideline or convert multiple drug types and weights to a single offense level.
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This report explores three potential relationships that may exist between length of incarceration and recidivism (incarceration as having a deterrent effect, a criminogenic effect, or no effect on recidivism). It is the seventh release in the Commission's series of recidivism reports.
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Case Law Quarterly provides brief summaries of select appellate court decisions issued each quarter of the year that involve the guidelines and other aspects of federal sentencing.
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This study expands on prior Commission research by examining the geographic mobility of federal offenders. For this report, mobility is defined as having convictions in multiple states, including the location of the conviction for the instant offense.
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
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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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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Resources
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
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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Resources
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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Resources
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”.