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Interesting new criminal justice commentary from SCOTUSblog

Tue, 07/29/2025 - 22:49
When SCOTUS is winding down a term in late June/early July, I typically find myself over at SCOTUSblog multiple times a day. During the Court's summer recess, though, I will not always make a habit of checking out SCOTUSblog regularly.... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

Will there be significant sentencing echoes from mess over US Attorney position in the Garden State?

Tue, 07/29/2025 - 11:02
The question in the title of this post is prompted by remarkable federal criminal justice developments in the District of New Jersey. This New York Times piece, headlined "N.J. Criminal Cases Screech to a Halt as Habba’s Authority Is Challenged,"... Douglas A. Berman Criminal justice in the Trump Administration Who Sentences

"Punishment Policies, Practices, and Patterns in Europe"

Mon, 07/28/2025 - 22:27
The title of this post is the title of this new article authored by Michael Tonry now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: Three things foster European moderation in relation to crime and punishment. The first is the influence... Douglas A. Berman Sentencing around the world

Noticing "substantial decline in gun violence" since the Supreme Court's Bruen ruling

Mon, 07/28/2025 - 13:27
I recall a number of public health researchers and others expressing concern back in summer 2022, right after the Supreme Court's landmark Second Amendment ruling in Bruen, that new changes and challenges to gun control laws could possibly contribute to... Douglas A. Berman Second Amendment issues Who Sentences

Two takes on the Supreme Court's statutory interpretation work in Hewitt

Mon, 07/28/2025 - 09:43
In this post last month, I flagged two essays from the Sentencing Matters Substack discussing the Supreme Court's work this past Term in Esteras v. United States addressing federal supervised release decision-making. I am pleased now to continue to highlight... Douglas A. Berman FIRST STEP Act and its implementation Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

Rounding up some press pieces about (non-immigration) prisons and jails

Sun, 07/27/2025 - 20:23
There is no shortage of stories about immigration detention faciltiies these days, but that coverage has not entirely crowded out other prison pieces in recent weeks. Here is a quick round up of some that recently caught my eye: From... Douglas A. Berman Prisons and prisoners

"Sentencing Still Matters: Michael Tonry’s Framework for Treating Like Cases Alike and Different Cases Differently"

Sun, 07/27/2025 - 09:04
The title of this post is the title of this article authored by Rhys Hester in the June 2025 issue of the Criminal Law Forum. (As noted in this prior post, this journal issue is devoted to celebrating the work... Douglas A. Berman Advisory Sentencing Guidelines Federal Sentencing Guidelines Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Purposes of Punishment and Sentencing Who Sentences

US Sentencing Commission releases over 500 pages of public comment on 2025-26 proposed priorities

Fri, 07/25/2025 - 10:18
As reported in this post, the US Sentencing Commission released in early June this Federal Register notice of its possible policy priorities for the guideline amendment cycle ending May 1, 2026, which came with a request for public comment on... Douglas A. Berman Federal Sentencing Guidelines Who Sentences

More details on the BOP's new First Step Act Task Force and its challenges

Fri, 07/25/2025 - 09:38
I noted in this post last week that the new Direcotr of the federal Bureau of Prisons has created a new First Step Act Task Force. This new Forbes article by Walter Palvo, headlined "Bureau Of Prisons Task Force Taking... Douglas A. Berman FIRST STEP Act and its implementation Prisons and prisoners Who Sentences

Bureau of Justice Statistics releases "Capital Punishment, 2023 – Statistical Tables"

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 12:58
This morning the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics released this latest report on national data on the administration of the death penalty in the United States through the end of 2023. As I have noted in prior posts, though... Douglas A. Berman Data on sentencing Death Penalty Reforms Detailed sentencing data

New CCJ report details "Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Mid-Year 2025 Update"

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:30
The Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) today released its latest accoutning of recent crime trends through this new report titled "Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Mid-Year 2025 Update." Here are some of the encouraging details from the the report's "Key... Douglas A. Berman National and State Crime Data

"How Much Do Mandatory Minimums Matter?"

Wed, 07/23/2025 - 22:34
The title of this post is the title of this new paper authored by Spencer Cooper now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: I estimate the causal effect of mandatory minimum (MM) eligibility on federal drug sentencing using a... Douglas A. Berman Data on sentencing Mandatory minimum sentencing statutes

"Is the Defendant Mad or Bad? The Association Between Mental Health, Race and Sex in Sentencing in Federal Courts"

Wed, 07/23/2025 - 10:01
The title of this post is the title of this new article published in the American Journal of Criminal Justice and authored by Tracy Sohoni, Sylwia Piatkowska and Briana Paige. Here is its abstract: Although US courts regularly sentence individuals... Douglas A. Berman Offender Characteristics Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Purposes of Punishment and Sentencing Race, Class, and Gender

An encouraging midyear crime assessment and accounts for the great crime decline

Tue, 07/22/2025 - 22:40
Anyone keeping an eye on crime trends will want to be sure to read these two new Substack posts: From Jeff-alytics, "Assessing Crime At Midyear: The trends aren't set in stone but they are clearly established." Excerpts: Crime almost certainly... Douglas A. Berman National and State Crime Data

New BJS report on "Probation and Parole in the United States, 2023"

Tue, 07/22/2025 - 14:37
The Justcie Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics today released this new data report titled "Probation and Parole in the United States, 2023." Here is how this report begins and a few "highlights" noted onits first page: An estimated 3,772,000 adults... Douglas A. Berman Data on sentencing Detailed sentencing data Reentry and community supervision

Lots of recent Law360 pieces for summer reading

Tue, 07/22/2025 - 10:18
I am not sure I would describe criminal justice articles from Law360 as "beach reading," but I am sure that I have noticed a number of notable pieces on that site should not be overlooked amid summer fun. So here... Douglas A. Berman Recommended reading

Another mass murderer allowed to avoid possible death sentencing via plea deal in Arkansas

Tue, 07/22/2025 - 08:49
Via this inauguration executive order, Prez Trump called the death penalty the "only proper punishment for the vilest crimes" and asserted that his "Administration will not tolerate efforts to stymie and eviscerate the laws that authorize capital punishment against those... Douglas A. Berman Death Penalty Reforms Offense Characteristics Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

Officer convicted of violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights sentenced to 33 months in federal prison

Mon, 07/21/2025 - 21:42
As reported in this Reuters piece, "former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was sentenced on Monday to 33 months in prison for violating Breonna Taylor's rights during the raid in which she was shot and killed." The US Justice Department,... Douglas A. Berman Offender Characteristics Offense Characteristics

A nuanced discussion of various aspects of Prez Biden's late-term clemency actions

Mon, 07/21/2025 - 14:42
A few days ago, Slate ran this new commentary from Frank Bowman discussing the latest reporting on Prez Biden's clemency actions on his way out of the Oval Office. I recommend the piece in full, and here is how it... Douglas A. Berman Clemency and Pardons Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

"Delinquency among children of incarcerated parents: The role of pre-incarceration parental attachment"

Mon, 07/21/2025 - 10:54
The title of this post is the title of this new article published in the Journal of Criminal Justice and authored by Noy Assaraf and Roni Factor. Here is its abstract: Objectives While many studies have examined the impact of... Douglas A. Berman Prisons and prisoners

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