NCJ Number
166954
Date Published
1995
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This essay addresses disparities and inconsistencies among sentencing practices in the United States and other countries and discusses sentencing reform policies and practices.
Abstract
The most dramatic sentencing reforms have been introduced in the United States. Numerical sentencing guidelines have been developed under which specific sentencing proposals based on offense severity and prior criminal history are used to structure and control judicial discretion. Most sentencing guidelines in the United States deal only with the control of judicial discretion at the sentencing stage of the criminal justice process. In England, sentencing reform has been more guarded but nevertheless significant. England's Criminal Justice Act of 1991 has endorsed the concept of just deserts in declaring that sentences must be proportionate to offense seriousness. The Criminal Code in Sweden has been reformed in the area of sentencing but no major shifts have occurred in the distribution of sanctions. Measures have been recently introduced, however, to impose longer custodial sentences for selected offenses and to make parole less generous. In Victoria, Australia, the Sentencing Act of 1991 covers retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, and public protection, but the act has not substantially changed the size of the Victorian prison population. The vulnerability of sentencing practices and reform to political influences is discussed. 46 footnotes