Sentencing Law & Policy

The New York Times has this new Opinion Video under the headline "An Unlikely Last Resort for Getting Out of Prison," and the quoted portion of the title of this post is drawn from a line in the ten-minute video.... Douglas A. Berman Clemency and Pardons Sentences Reconsidered Technocorrections Who Sentences

The title of this post is the title of this notable new paper now on SSRN authored by Lee Kovarsky. Here is its abstract: Abuse of presidential pardon power is taking a new and frightening turn. The Donald Trump administration... Douglas A. Berman Clemency and Pardons Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

As reported in this UPI piece, as "Florida preps to execute its fourth U.S. veteran this year, more than 130 U.S. veterans in nearly every branch of service have requested for Gov. Ron DeSantis to end the state's executions of... Douglas A. Berman Death Penalty Reforms Offender Characteristics

The US Sentencing Commission's fiscal year 2024 data reported that there were a total of 536 federal sentences imposed last year in the US District Court for the District of Columbus. I have heard that there has been an increase... Douglas A. Berman National and State Crime Data Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

Because he has supplied the majority of (terrific) content at the Sentencing Matters Substack, it is only fitting that Jonathan Wroblewski has the honor and privilege (and burden?) of authoring a first "year in review" essay overt there. In this... Douglas A. Berman On blogging Recommended reading Who Sentences

Catching up after a week mostly on the road, I noticed lots of headlines and stories that seemed worth flagging in a quicj round-up. So here goes: From the Free Press, "Why I Changed My Mind About the Death Penalty"... Douglas A. Berman Recommended reading

The title of this post is the headline of this new TMZ report, which is interesting while not being especially surprising. Here are excertps: Diddy will probably be sentenced to confinement for 1 to 3 years, and his lawyer may... Douglas A. Berman Celebrity sentencings Federal Sentencing Guidelines Reentry and community supervision Who Sentences

Over at Bolts, Michaela Markels has this lengthy piece about felony murder law in Alabama and elsewhere. Especially as I am gearing up to teach 1L Crimnal Law this fall, I found this piece very much worth a full read.... Douglas A. Berman Offense Characteristics Race, Class, and Gender

The title of this post is the title of this new paper authored by Isabella Polito and Colleen Berryessa now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: High rates of recidivism in the age of mass incarceration have prompted efforts... Douglas A. Berman Purposes of Punishment and Sentencing Sentences Reconsidered

While on the road earlier this week, I missed this new story of the Trump Administration declining to pursue the death penalty in some high-profile cases. The story highlights some of the enduring challenges and considerations that often surround efforts... Douglas A. Berman Celebrity sentencings Death Penalty Reforms Drug Offense Sentencing Who Sentences

As reported in this press release, earlier today "the U.S. Sentencing Commission has unanimously voted to adopt priorities for the 2025-2026 guideline amendment cycle." Here is more: In reflection of the comments and ideas it has received, the Commission voted... Douglas A. Berman Federal Sentencing Guidelines Who Sentences

Regular readers know, based on many prior posts here, that police departments in cities nationwide were reporting crime declines throughout 2024 (and are continuing to do so into 2025). Yesterday, the FBI released its final report on 2024 crime, and... Douglas A. Berman National and State Crime Data

As reported in this AP article, a "man convicted of killing his girlfriend and her two young daughters in the 1980s said he was “hurting so bad” while he was given a lethal injection Tuesday in Tennessee, where authorities had... Douglas A. Berman Death Penalty Reforms

I am still on the road for a few more days, so blogging will continue to be relatively light this week. But as I watch my news feed, lots of prison-related headlines are catching my eye. And though I try... Douglas A. Berman Prisons and prisoners

The title of this post is the title of this new essay from the Sentencing Matters Substack authored by Steve Chanenson. Because I am myself guilty of not giving enough attention to state sentencing systems and state sentencing commissions, I... Douglas A. Berman State Sentencing Guidelines Who Sentences

I am on my last road trip for the summer, so blogging may be light this week as I am savoring a late bit of a summer as it is starting to wind down. But I have a moment to... Douglas A. Berman Recommended reading

The title of this post is the title of this notable new report from the Justice Innovation Lab authored by Rory Pulvino, Dan Sutton, and JJ Naddeo. Here are parts of the report's "Introduction": [W]e tested ChatGPT (model 3.5-Turbo) on... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

As reported in this AP article, a "man convicted of the 1994 killings of his wife and their two children became the ninth person put to death in Florida this year, his death Thursday marking a state record for a... Douglas A. Berman Data on sentencing Death Penalty Reforms

The title of this post is the title of this new paper authored by Alexandra Natapoff and now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: The U.S. penal apparatus is a bundle of wildly divergent practices. Police in some cities... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Race, Class, and Gender Who Sentences

The Council of State Governments Justice Center has produced a notable new report titled "The Supervision Violations and Their Impact on Incarceration." This CSG webpage provides this overview of the report and highlights: New data from The Council of State... Douglas A. Berman Data on sentencing Reentry and community supervision Scope of Imprisonment