A helpful colleague made sure I saw this big new report produced by the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. The study, which was conducted in response to a Pennsylvania Senate Resolution, seeks to provides a comprehensive study of veterans in the
Sentencing Law and Policy
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Sentencing Law and Policy, published by Douglas A. Berman, focuses on issues related to criminal sentencing, including death penalty developments, prosecutorial discretion, plea bargaining, and constitutional challenges in sentencing law. The blog covers topics such as capital punishment cases, sentencing reform debates, the impact of Supreme Court decisions on sentencing practices, and the legal and policy implications of prosecutorial and judicial sentencing authority. It also addresses broader themes like mass incarceration, procedural justice in sentencing, and evolving legal standards affecting punishment severity and fairness.
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“Crime and Punishment Across America: A 50 State Legislative Analysis”
The title of this post is the title of this big new report from the Prosecutors and Politics Project (PPP) at UNC School of Law to share a new national study on state crime and punishment legislation. Here is part…
“Trapped in Time: The Silent Crisis of Elderly Incarceration”
The title of this post is the title of this lengthy new research report produced by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs. Here is…
US Sentencing Commission FY 2025 third quarter federal sentencing data shows growth in immigration cases
I just saw that yesterday the US Sentencing Commission released here its latest federal sentencing quarterly data report which is titled “3rd Quarter Release, Preliminary Fiscal Year 2025 Data Through June 30, 2025.” Because these data only capture a little…
“From Sickness to Cure: Obeying 28 U.S.C. § 994(g)’s Mandates as a Remedy to Bureau of Prison Overpopulation”
The title of this post is the title of this new article now on SSRN authored by Max Wolson, Benjamin Flick and Adeel Bashir. Here is its abstract:This article explains how the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s excessively punitive, weight-based drug trafficking…
NACDL releases “Empty Pockets and Empty Promises: How Federal Restitution Law Fails Everyone”
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) today released this lengthy new report written by LawProf Cortney Lollar. Here is the report’s executive summary:Criminal restitution has become a regular part of sentencing in criminal cases. And yet it remains…
Exploring some reasons for the uptick in US execitions in 2025
The Marshall Project has this notable new piece exploring some reasons for the higher number of executions throughout the US in 2025. I recommend the piece in full, and here are excerpts (with links from the original):Ten states have executed…
Effective review of some state echoes of Eighth Amendment limits on extreme juve sentences
This new Law360 article, headlined “Appeals Courts Rethink Harsh Youth Sentences, Search Rules,” details some of the ways state courts have been extending the US Supreme Court’s Eighth Amendment jurisprudence precluding some extreme juvenile sentence. Here are excerpts from…
Nadine Menendez, wife of convicted former US Senator Bob Menendez, sentenced to 54 months in federal prison
As reported in this New York Times article, “Nadine Menendez, the wife of New Jersey’s former senator, was sentenced on Thursday to four and a half years in prison for her role in a scheme to trade her husband’s…
“Police Prosecution Outcomes”
The title of this post is the title of this new paper authored by Rachel Moran now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract:When it comes to prosecutions of police officers for homicide-related offenses, opinions are plentiful but data is…