Research Reports

September 2024

(September 2024) This report provides information on individuals sentenced for offenses using cryptocurrency, the dark...

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Methamphetamine Trafficking Offenses in the Federal Criminal Justice System

June 2024

(June 2024) This publication examines trends in the prevalence of federal methamphetamine trafficking sentences, and the...

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Education Levels of Federally Sentenced Individuals

December 2023

(December 2023) This report provides an analysis of the federally sentenced individuals in fiscal year 2021 by...

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2023 Demographic Differences in Federal Sentencing

November 2023

(November 2023) A report updating the Commission's data analysis concerning demographic differences in federal...

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Federal Escape Offenses

September 2023

(September 2023) This publication combines data the Commission regularly collects with data from a special coding...

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Weighing the Impact of Simple Possession of Marijuana

January 2023

(January 2023) This publication assesses recent trends in federal sentencing for simple possession of marijuana, as well...

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Federal Robbery: Prevalence, Trends, and Factors in Sentencing

August 2022

(August 2022) This comprehensive study provides information on the prevalence of robbery offenses and how they were...

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The Organizational Sentencing Guidelines: Thirty Years of Innovation and Influence

August 2022

(August 2022) This publication summarizes the history of the organizational guidelines, several decades of trend...

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Older Offenders in the Federal System

July 2022

(July 2022) This report examines older federal offenders and the crimes for which they were sentenced in fiscal year...

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Life Sentences in the Federal System

July 2022

(July 2022) This publication discusses the use of life sentences in the federal system using data from fiscal years 2016...

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Federal Sentencing of Illegal Reentry: The Impact of the 2016 Guideline Amendment

July 2022

(July 2022) This report examines the impact of Amendment 802 by looking back at sentencings under §2L1.2 over the last...

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What Do Federal Firearms Offenses Really Look Like?

July 2022

(July 2022) This report provides in-depth information on federal firearms offenders sentenced under the primary firearms...

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Length of Incarceration and Recidivism (2022)

June 2022

(June 2022) This report is the seventh and final report in a series continuing the Commission’s research of the...

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Revisiting Status Points

June 2022

(June 2022) This report examines the application and significance of status points, and considers the extent to which...

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Recidivism and Federal Bureau of Prisons Programs: Vocational Program Participants Released in 2010

June 2022

(June 2022) This report is the sixth in a series continuing the Commission’s study of the recidivism of federal...

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Recidivism and Federal Bureau of Prisons Programs: Drug Program Participants Released in 2010

May 2022

(May 2022) This report is the fifth in a series continuing the Commission’s study of the recidivism of federal offenders...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2021

April 2022

(April 2022) This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2021. It provides a...

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Compassionate Release: The Impact of the First Step Act and COVID-19 Pandemic

March 2022

(March 2022) This publication describes trends in compassionate release decisions during fiscal year 2020—focusing on...

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Recidivism of Federal Violent Offenders Released in 2010

February 2022

(February 2022) This report is the fourth in a series continuing the Commission’s research of the recidivism of federal...

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Recidivism of Federal Drug Trafficking Offenders Released in 2010

January 2022

(January 2022) This report is the third in a series continuing the Commission’s research of the recidivism of federal...

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Recidivism of Federal Firearms Offenders Released in 2010

November 2021

(Updated February 2022) This report is the second in a series continuing the Commission’s research of the recidivism of...

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Federal Offenders Who Served in the Armed Forces

October 2021

(October 2021) This report examines for the first time Federal Offenders Who Served in the Armed Forces and studies the...

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Federal Sentencing of Child Pornography: Production Offenses

October 2021

(October 2021) This report updates and expands upon the Commission's 2012 Report to the Congress: Federal Child...

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Recidivism of Federal Offenders Released in 2010

September 2021

(September 2021) This report is the first in a series continuing the Commission’s research of the recidivism of federal...

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Federal Sentencing of Child Pornography: Non-Production Offenses

June 2021

(June 2021) This report updates and expands upon the Commission's 2012 Report to the Congress: Federal Child Pornography...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2020

April 2021

(April 2021) This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2020. It provides a...

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Federal Armed Career Criminals: Prevalence, Patterns, and Pathways

March 2021

(March 2021) This report provides information on offenders sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

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Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogues: Federal Trends and Trafficking Patterns

January 2021

(January 2021) This report examines the relatively new and emerging problem of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue...

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The Influence of the Guidelines on Federal Sentencing

December 2020

(December 2020) This report updates the 2012 Booker Report’s examination of the influence of the guidelines on the...

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The First Step Act of 2018: One Year of Implementation

August 2020

(August 2020) With a full year of data now available since the passage of the First Step Act of 2018, the Commission...

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Federal Probation and Supervised Release Violations

July 2020

(July 2020) This report provides information on violations of federal probation and supervised release using data...

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Retroactivity & Recidivism: The Drugs Minus Two Amendment

July 2020

(July 2020) This publication analyzes recidivism rates among drug offenders who were released immediately before and...

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Length of Incarceration and Recidivism

April 2020

(April 2020) This study examines the relationship between length of incarceration and recidivism, specifically exploring...

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Path of Federal Criminality: Mobility and Criminal History

April 2020

(April 2020) This study expands on prior Commission research by examining the geographic mobility of federal offenders.

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2019

April 2020

(April 2020) This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2019. It provides a...

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The Criminal History of Federal Economic Crime Offenders

February 2020

(February 2020) For the first time, this report provides in-depth criminal history information about federal economic...

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Inter-District Differences in Federal Sentencing Practices

January 2020

(January 2020) This report examines variations in sentencing practices—and corresponding variations in sentencing...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2018

June 2019

(June 2019) This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2018. It provides a...

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Recidivism Among Federal Firearms Offenders

June 2019

(June 2019) This report is the sixth in a series of recidivism reports and provides an analysis of federal firearms...

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Revocations Among Federal Offenders

January 2019

(January 2019) This publication explores a subset of the Commission’s criminal history rules—those regarding the...

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What Does Federal Economic Crime Really Look Like?

January 2019

(January 2019) This publication provides data on the prevalence, offender and offense characteristics, and sentences...

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Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Federal Sex Offenses

January 2019

(January 2019) This publication examines the application of mandatory minimum penalties specific to federal sex offenses...

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Recidivism Among Federal Violent Offenders

January 2019

(January 2019) This report is the fifth in a series of reports and provides a recidivism analysis of federal offenders...

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Intra-City Differences in Federal Sentencing Practices

January 2019

(January 2019) This report examines variations in sentencing practices—and corresponding variations in sentencing...

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Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Federal Identity Theft Offenses

September 2018

(September 2018) This publication examines the application of mandatory minimum penalties specific to identity theft...

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Application and Impact of Section 851 Enhancements

July 2018

(July 2018) This publication examines the application and impact of the statutory penalty enhancement for federal drug...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2017

June 2018

(June 2018) This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2017. It provides a...

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The Criminal History of Federal Offenders

May 2018

(May 2018) For the first time, this report provides complete information on the number of convictions and types of...

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Recidivism Among Federal Offenders Receiving Retroactive Sentence Reductions: The 2011 Fair Sentencing Act Guideline Amendment

March 2018

(March 2018) This publication analyzes recidivism among crack cocaine offenders who were released early after...

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Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Firearms Offenses in the Federal System

March 2018

(March 2018) Using fiscal year 2016 data, this publication includes analysis similar to that in the 2017 Overview...

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The Effects of Aging on Recidivism Among Federal Offenders

December 2017

(December 2017) This report examines the impact of the aging process on federal offender recidivism and, once age is...

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2017 Demographic Differences in Federal Sentencing

November 2017

(November 2017) A report updating the Commission's data analysis concerning demographic differences in federal...

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Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Drug Offenses in the Federal System

October 2017

(October 2017) Using fiscal year 2016 data, this publication includes analysis similar to that in the 2017 Overview...

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Federal Alternative-to-Incarceration Court Programs

September 2017

(September 2017) This publication summarizes the nature of emerging federal alternative-to-incarceration court programs...

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An Analysis of the Implementation of the 2014 Clemency Initiative

September 2017

(September 2017) This report analyzes sentence commutations granted under the 2014 Clemency Initiative. The Commission...

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2017 Overview of Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System

July 2017

(July 2017) This report assesses the impact of mandatory minimum penalties on federal sentencing. It continues the...

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Youthful Offenders in the Federal System

May 2017

(May 2017) This publication presents information about youthful offenders (age 25 or younger for purposes of this report...

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Criminal History and Recidivism of Federal Offenders

March 2017

(March 2017) The focus of this report is the 25,431 U.S. citizen federal offenders released from prison or placed on...

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Recidivism Among Federal Drug Trafficking Offenders

February 2017

(February 2017) This report examines a group of 10,888 federal drug trafficking offenders who were released in calendar...

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Simple Possession of Drugs in the Federal Criminal Justice System

September 2016

(September 2016) The number of federal offenders whose most serious offense was simple drug possession increased nearly...

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2016 Report to the Congress: Career Offender Enhancements

July 2016

(July 2016) This report presents findings of the Commission's multi-year study of statutory and guideline definitions...

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Recidivism Among Federal Offenders: A Comprehensive Overview

March 2016

(March 2016) This report provides a broad overview of key findings from the United States Sentencing Commission’s study...

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The Use of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 35(b)

February 2016

(February 2016) This report examines sentence reductions for offenders who cooperate with the government in its efforts...

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2015 Report to the Congress: Impact of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010

August 2015

(August 2015) The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (FSA) reduced the statutory penalties for crack cocaine offenses to...

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2015 Report: Alternative Sentencing in the Federal Criminal Justice System

May 2015

As a supplement to the 2009 publication, the Commission is releasing this new report, using data from 2005 through 2014...

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Illegal Reentry Offenses

April 2015

This report focuses on offenders sentenced under USSG §2L1.2, including their criminal histories, number of prior...

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Results of Survey of United States District Judges: Modification and Revocation of Probation and Supervised Release

February 2015

(February 2015) In this survey, the Commission sought input from United States district judges as part of its multi-year...

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Life Sentences in the Federal Criminal Justice System

February 2015

This publication discusses the use of life sentences in the federal system and the cases in which the sentencing...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2013

August 2014

This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2013. It provides a brief, easy-to...

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Recidivism Among Offenders Receiving Retroactive Sentence Reductions: The 2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment

May 2014

This publication provides an updated recidivism analysis of crack cocaine offenders who were released early after...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2012

July 2013

This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2012. It provides a brief, easy-to...

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2012 Report to the Congress: Federal Child Pornography Offenses

December 2012

(December 2012) This report is the result of a multi-year study by the Commission and complements and expands upon the...

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2012 Report to the Congress: Continuing Impact of United States v. Booker on Federal Sentencing

December 2012

(December 2012) This report assesses the continuing impact on the federal sentencing system of the Supreme Court's 2005...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2011

September 2012

This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2011. It provides a brief, easy-to...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2010

July 2012

This publication presents a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2010. It provides a brief, easy-to...

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2011 Report to the Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System

October 2011

This report assesses the impact of mandatory minimum penalties on federal sentencing, particularly in light of the...

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Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2009

December 2010

This publication provides a broad overview of federal sentencing data for fiscal year 2009. Readers will find this...

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Computation of Recency Criminal History Points under USSG §4A1.1(e)

August 2010

This document provides certain information considered by the Commission as part of its determination to amend the...

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Federal Sentencing Data and Analysis Issues

August 2010

This paper explains the way in which the Commission collects sentencing information, and discusses analytical issues...

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Federal Offenders Sentenced to Supervised Release

July 2010

This report provides a comprehensive review of the legal and data issues related to the imposition, modification, and...

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Demographic Differences in Federal Sentencing Practices: An Update of the Booker Report's Multivariate Analysis

March 2010

A report updating the Commission's data analysis concerning demographic differences in federal sentencing practices set...

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2009 History of the Child Pornography Guidelines

October 2009

(October 2009) This report provides a history of the child pornography guidelines. This report is the first step in the...

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Impact of Prior Minor Offenses on Eligibility for Safety Valve

March 2009

This report provides an analysis of the role of convictions for prior minor offenses in the sentences of federal...

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2009 Report: Alternative Sentencing in the Federal Criminal Justice System

February 2009

This paper analyzes alternative sentences for federal offenders and, specifically, United States citizens sentenced...

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Changing Face of Federal Criminal Sentencing: Seventeen Years of Growth in the Federal Sentencing Caseload

January 2009

This publication provides an overview of the number and types of offenses tried in the federal courts and the people who...

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Report to the Congress on Emergency Disaster Assistance Fraud Penalty Enhancement Act of 2007

September 2008

September 2008 Report to the Congress: Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines in Response to the Emergency...

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Topic

Reports

Reports to the Congress

Research Reports

A Comparison of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Criminal History Category and the U.S. Parole Commission Salient Factor Score

January 2005

The third release in the Research Series on the Recidivism of Federal Offenders describes the empirical foundations of...

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Recidivism and the "First Offender"

May 2004

This second release in the Research Series on the Recidivism of Federal Offenders provides an empirical foundation for...

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Measuring Recidivism: The Criminal History Computation of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines

May 2004

The first release in the Research Series on the Recidivism of Federal Offenders, this report examines in detail the...

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2003 Report to the Congress: Downward Departures from the Federal Sentencing Guidelines

October 2003

The United States Sentencing Commission submits this report in direct response to section 401(m) of the Prosecutorial...

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Survey of Article III Judges on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines

March 2003

Survey of Article III Judges on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Full Reports Final Report in one large PDF document...

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Topic

Historical Development of the Guidelines

Surveys

Reports

Research Reports

2002 Report to the Congress: Federal Cocaine Sentencing Policy

May 2002

The purpose of this report is to contribute to the ongoing assessment of federal cocaine sentencing policy by Congress...

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United States Sentencing Commission Economic Crimes Policy Team

December 1999

United States Sentencing Commission Economic Crimes Policy Team Identity Theft Final Report (December 15, 1999) (.PDF)...

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Topic

Methamphetamine Final Report

November 1999

This is the Final Report of the informal Methamphetamine Policy Team regarding implementation of the Methamphetamine...

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Substantial Assistance: An Empirical Yardstick Gauging Equity in Current Federal Policy and Practice

January 1998

This exploratory research report examines the guidelines' "substantial assistance" policy statement in light of the...

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Survey of Public Opinion on Sentencing Federal Crimes

March 1997

MEMORANDUM FROM : Richard P. Conaboy, Chairman SUBJECT: Public Opinion on Sentencing Federal Crimes DATE: March 14, 1997...

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Topic

Historical Development of the Guidelines

Surveys

Reports

Research Reports

United States Sentencing Commission Reprint Series: Volume II

September 1996

This publication provides selected articles highlighting the thoughts of the initial members of the Commission and staff...

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1996 Report to the Congress: Sex Offenses Against Children

June 1996

The United States Sentencing Commission submits this report at the request of Congress on a subject of deep concern --...

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United States Sentencing Commission Reprint Series: Volume I

June 1992

This publication provides selected articles on the early years of the federal sentencing guidelines system. (June 1992)

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1991 Report to the Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System

August 1991

In 1990, Congress formally directed the Sentencing Commission to respond to a series of questions concerning the...

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The Federal Offender: A Program of Intermediate Punishments

December 1990

Report from the Alternatives to Imprisonment Project. (December 1990)

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Research Reports

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