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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

A busy summer continues for the US Sentencing Commission. A couple of weeks ago, as detailed here, the Commission conducted a "Public Hearing on Retroactivity" to "gather testimony from invited witnesses concerning whether to designate as retroactive certain 2025 guideline... Douglas A. Berman Federal Sentencing Guidelines Who Sentences

Recent posts here and here highlighting terrific crime declines in the United States so far in 2025 are just part of an lengthy series of crime news posts that reported mostly sobering news from 2020 to 2022 followed by much... Douglas A. Berman National and State Crime Data

The title of this post is the title of this new article authored by F. Andrew Hessick and Carissa Byrne Hessick now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: Presidents, prosecutors, and judges often announce policies on how they will... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

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

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

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

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