News Release
November 13, 2026
Contact: Public Affairs
UNITED STATES SENTENCING COMMISSION VOTES TO EXPAND CONSULTATION WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN FEDERAL SENTENCING SYSTEM
New Rule Marks Important Step Toward Fairer, Smarter Sentencing Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Today, the United States Sentencing Commission took a critical step toward a more transparent, inclusive, and effective process for making federal sentencing policy. Building on recent reforms like those that brought formerly incarcerated people into Commission policymaking and allowed outside experts to bolster the agency’s research function, the Commission launched an effort this summer to examine and improve its internal policymaking procedures. As a result of that ongoing project, the Commission has voted to invite representatives from both the Criminal Law Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States and the Federal Public and Community Defenders into the agency’s deliberative process at nonpublic meetings.
“Congress tasked us with working constantly and closely with these key judicial branch stakeholders,” said Commission Chair Carlton W. Reeves. “Absent their consistent presence throughout our policymaking work, we have been unable to fulfill that task—and, as a result, our work has not been as robust as it should be. Inviting our colleagues within the judiciary into the room is a simple, common-sense fix that has garnered overwhelming support from across the criminal justice system. I cannot wait to see how our policymaking process is enriched in the years ahead. And, in the coming weeks, I hope the Commission will take additional steps toward a fairer, smarter policymaking process.”
The Commission’s revised Rules of Practice and Procedure can be found HERE. The Commission will continue the work it prioritized this amendment cycle, including by evaluating the additional Rules revisions it proposed earlier this year.
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The United States Sentencing Commission, an independent agency in the judicial branch of the federal government, was organized in 1985 to develop a national sentencing policy for the federal courts. The resulting sentencing guidelines provide structure for the courts’ sentencing discretion to help ensure that similar defendants who commit similar offenses receive similar sentences.