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.
Amendments In Brief are short summaries, usually one to two pages, of the Commission’s actions in a certain area of sentencing policy and the issue that prompted the guideline amendment.
Unclear about some of the terms found in the Guidelines Manual? This glossary covers everything from “Abuse of Trust” to “Zone D”.
The HelpLine assists judges, probation officers, and practitioners in understanding and applying the guidelines. You can submit your questions electronically or call us directly.
How 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.
Want 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.…
Use these worksheets to help determine the applicable offense level, criminal history score, and guideline range in an individual offender’s case.
Quick 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.
Research Notes give background information on the technical details of the Commission’s data collection process and provide answers to common data analysis questions.
2023-2024 Amendment Cycle
Public Comment
The Commission received comment on proposed priorities for the amendment cycle ending May 1, 2024.
Federal Register Notice
The Commission seeks comment on proposed priorities for the amendment cycle ending May 1, 2024.
Public comment should be received by the Commission on or before August 1, 2023.
Event
A public meeting of the Commission will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 2:00 pm (ET) pursuant to Rule 3.2 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure.
Web page
This page provides a collection of publicly available resources on problem-solving courts, including diversion, alternatives-to-incarceration, and reentry programs. It will be updated periodically as the Commission continues its policy priority work in this area.
Press Release
Commissioners voted at a public meeting to allow delayed retroactive application of Amendment 821 relating to criminal history. The Commission also approved new policy priorities for the amendment year ending May 1, 2024.
Federal Register Notice
The Commission published final priorities for the amendment cycle ending May 1, 2024.
Event
A public meeting of the Commission was held on Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT) pursuant to Rule 3.2 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the United States Sentencing Commission.
A video recording and transcript are available.
Federal Register Notice
The Commission has determined that the targeted changes to the criminal history rules made in Parts A and B, Subpart 1 of Amendment 821 should be applied retroactively.
Amendments
This document contains unofficial text of the amendment to policy statement §1B1.10 (Reduction in Term of Imprisonment as a Result of Amended Guideline Range (Policy Statement)), as promulgated by the Commission. Official text will appear in a forthcoming edition of the Federal Register.
Public Comment
The Commission received comment on possible retroactive application of Parts A and B of the 2023 Criminal History Amendment (effective November 1, 2023).