|
In 2004 and 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Blakely v. Washington and United States v. Booker, respectively. These two landmark Supreme Court decisions redefined the constitutional landscape of criminal sentencing, presenting the opportunity for federal and state policymakers to consider whether their sentencing systems should be revised and, if so, how. To promote national debate about sentencing and to influence expected impending revisions to state and federal sentencing guidelines, the Constitution Project created its Sentencing Committee.
The Sentencing Committee comprises a bipartisan group of experts with a vast array of knowledge and experience within the criminal justice system, including a former U.S. Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, former and current judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, scholars and other sentencing experts.
The Committee's mission is to develop specific, consensus recommendations for revising sentencing laws to comport with the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court decisions. In furtherance of this mission, the Committee has released two reports. The first, Principles for the Design and Reform of Sentencing Systems, presents the Committee's study of American criminal sentencing and its agreed-upon principles for state and federal sentencing structures. The second, Recommendations for Federal Criminal Sentencing in a Post-Booker World, presents recommendations for improving the federal sentencing system consistent with the Principles adopted in the first report. |
