Guidelines Manual


Book Description







National Assessment of Structured Sentencing


Book Description

Presents the findings of the first national assessment of sentencing reforms. This report offers lessons learned in the diverse efforts to structure sentencing over the past two decades. These lessons are offered in the context of a historical perspective of sentencing practices used in the U. S., with a discussions of the issues that led to the structured sentencing movement. They are based on a national survey of existing sentencing practices in the 50 States & the District of Columbia. Sources for further information. Bibliography. Charts & tables.




California's Criminal Justice System


Book Description

California¿s Criminal Justice System, Third Edition, shares the history, purpose, structure, and procedures of California¿s criminal justice system. It begins with conversations about the state of crime in California, the demographics of crime, and the practices of legislative actions and direct democracy in creating state laws. The book includes discussions of criminal justice policies as well as criminal justice institutions such as policing, courts, corrections, and the juvenile justice system. Each chapter is authored by an expert in the field and highlights some of the current issues, challenges, and controversies facing California¿s criminal justice system. The authors also highlight some of the current criminal justice policies and controversies within the state, including gun policy, sex crime policy, drug policy, capital punishment, realignment, gangs, and victims¿ rights. In addition, the authors include discussions on a variety of different employment opportunities related to criminal justice and the occupational outlook for these positions. This text is appropriate for undergraduate students in introductory courses on criminal justice, law, and government, and can be used either as a supplemental text or as a stand-alone resource for students.







"Not in it for Justice"


Book Description

Key recommendations -- Methodology -- I. Background -- II. Pretrial detention in California -- II. Bail leads to jailing people who are not guilty -- III. Bail and jail result in an unfair justice system -- IV. Bail devastates poor and middle-income defendants and households -- V. Does bail in California serve the legitimate purposes of pretrial detention? -- VI. Profile-based risk assessment -- VII. A better way: increased cite and release and individualized risk assessment -- IX. International human rights law.




How Do Judges Decide?


Book Description

The appropriate amount of punishment for a given crime is an issue that has been debated by scholars, philosophers and legal professionals since the beginning of civilizations. This book seeks to address this issue in all of its complexity by providing a comprehensive overview of the sentencing process in the United States. The book begins by discussing the overall concept of punishment and then proceeds to dissect individual aspects of punishment. Topics include: the sentencing process; responsibility of the judge; disparity and discrimination in sentencing; and sentencing reform. This book is an ideal text for introductory courses on the judicial system, criminal law, law and society. It can be an essential resource to help students understand patterns in the wide discretion and latitude given to judges when determining punishments within the framework of the United States judicial system.







Sentencing Law and Policy


Book Description

Four leading sentencing scholars have produced the first and only text with enough up-to-date material to support a full course or seminar on sentencing. Other texts offer only partial coverage or out-of-date examples. The chapters in Sentencing Law and Policy: Cases, Statutes, and Guidelines present examples from three distinct types of sentencing guideline-determinate, and capital. The materials draw on the full spectrum of legal institutions, from the U.S. Supreme Court To The state court level, with close consideration of the role of legislatures and sentencing commissions. The only current, full-course text on sentencing, this new title offers: an 'intuitive', conceptually-based organization that looks at the essential substantative components and procedural steps following the sequence of decisions that typically occurs in every criminal sentencing examples covering three distinct areas of sentencing, with chapter materials based on guideline-determinate, indeterminate, and capital sentencing materials from a range of institutions, including decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, state high courts, federal appellate courts, and some foreign jurisdictions - along with statutes and guideline provisions, and reports from various sentencing commissions and agencies in-text notes on sentencing policies that explain common practices in U.S. jurisdictions, then ask students to compare different institutional practices and consider the relationship between sentencing rules, politics, And The broader aims of criminal justice