Pennsylvania's Sentencing Reform: The Impact of Commission-Established Guidelines

Abstract

Sentencing guidelines have attracted extensive attention as a rational approach to sentencing reform despite little evidence that guidelines act to reduce disparity or increase fairness. This article reports on a major assessment of Pennsylvania's commission-developed guidelines. The findings indicate that the Commission's guidelines have had a substantial impact on sentencing. The article focuses particularly on race, county size, and disparity measures in evaluating the impact of the guidelines. The findings support the conclusion that commission-based guidelines can effect meaningful sentencing reform.