Federal Sentencing Reporter Research Articles

Reflecting on Nearly Four Decades of the Great American Sentencing Songbook

This short article provides a brief overview for the Federal Sentencing Reporter’s republishing of past articles using a “greatest hits” theme. This article notes the wide range of people who have contributed in myriad ways to the long-running Federal Sentencing Reporter band. The visionary work of founding editors Daniel J. Freed and Marc L. Miller are noted, along with the many wonderful producers of the FSR experience at the University of California Press.

Memorandum to All Federal Prosecutors, General Department Policies Regarding Charging, Pleas, and Sentencing

Research Article| February 01 2023 Memorandum to All Federal Prosecutors, General Department Policies Regarding Charging, Pleas, and Sentencing U.S. Attorney General U.S. Attorney General Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2023) 35 (3): 157–160. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2023.35.3.157 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation U.S. Attorney General; Memorandum to All Federal Prosecutors, General Department Policies Regarding Charging, Pleas, and Sentencing. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 February 2023; 35 (3): 157–160. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2023.35.3.157 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted.2023 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Report to the House of Delegates and Resolution (adopted)

Research Article| February 01 2023 Report to the House of Delegates and Resolution (adopted) American Bar Association American Bar Association Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2023) 35 (3): 192–197. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2023.35.3.192 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation American Bar Association; Report to the House of Delegates and Resolution (adopted). Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 February 2023; 35 (3): 192–197. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2023.35.3.192 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2022 American Bar Association. All rights reserved.2022 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Proposed Amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines (preliminary)

Research Article| February 01 2023 Proposed Amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines (preliminary) U.S. Sentencing Commission U.S. Sentencing Commission Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2023) 35 (3): 186–191. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2023.35.3.186 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation U.S. Sentencing Commission; Proposed Amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines (preliminary). Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 February 2023; 35 (3): 186–191. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2023.35.3.186 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. This material is in the public domain and my be reprinted.2023 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Memorandum to All Federal Prosecutors, Additional Department Policies Regarding Charging, Pleas, and Sentencing in Drug Cases

Research Article| February 01 2023 Memorandum to All Federal Prosecutors, Additional Department Policies Regarding Charging, Pleas, and Sentencing in Drug Cases U.S. Attorney General U.S. Attorney General Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2023) 35 (3): 161–163. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2023.35.3.161 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation U.S. Attorney General; Memorandum to All Federal Prosecutors, Additional Department Policies Regarding Charging, Pleas, and Sentencing in Drug Cases. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 February 2023; 35 (3): 161–163. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2023.35.3.161 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted.2023 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Final Priorities for Amendment Cycle

Research Article| December 01 2022 Final Priorities for Amendment Cycle U.S. Sentencing Commission U.S. Sentencing Commission Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2022) 35 (2): 94–95. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.35.2.94 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation U.S. Sentencing Commission; Final Priorities for Amendment Cycle. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 December 2022; 35 (2): 94–95. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.35.2.94 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted2023 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

New Commission Proposes Policy Priorities for 2022–2023 Amendment Year (press release)

Research Article| December 01 2022 New Commission Proposes Policy Priorities for 2022–2023 Amendment Year (press release): First Step Act Implementation Among Top Tentative Priorities U.S. Sentencing Commission U.S. Sentencing Commission Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2022) 35 (2): 90. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.35.2.90 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation U.S. Sentencing Commission; New Commission Proposes Policy Priorities for 2022–2023 Amendment Year (press release): First Step Act Implementation Among Top Tentative Priorities. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 December 2022; 35 (2): 90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.35.2.90 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted2023 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Press Release: President Biden Nominates Bipartisan Slate for the U.S. Sentencing Commission (May 11, 2022)

Research Article| October 01 2022 Press Release: President Biden Nominates Bipartisan Slate for the U.S. Sentencing Commission (May 11, 2022) Federal Sentencing Reporter (2022) 35 (1): 33–34. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.35.1.33 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Press Release: President Biden Nominates Bipartisan Slate for the U.S. Sentencing Commission (May 11, 2022). Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 October 2022; 35 (1): 33–34. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.35.1.33 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2022 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2022 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

One Nation Under Supervision

This special issue of the Federal Sentencing Reporter is dedicated to community supervision in the federal criminal justice system. Federal law recognizes two justifications for community supervision: public safety and rehabilitation. Yet these justifications are in tension, if not in conflict. Judges impose terms of supervision to protect the public and promote the defendant’s rehabilitation, but the government enforces the conditions of supervision through the threat of imprisonment, which officially serves only for retribution and public safety, not rehabilitation. In other words, federal law justifies supervision to ease the defendant’s return to the community, while the revocation mechanism subordinates the defendant’s interests to the safety of the public. One way to resolve this contradiction would be to return to Congress’s original plan for supervised release as a period of supervision without the possibility of revocation. Lawmakers should authorize sentencing judges to decide whether the supervision they impose will be “revocable,” in other words, whether violations will be punishable by imprisonment. Under this approach, judges could sentence particularly dangerous defendants to revocable terms of supervision if necessary to protect the public, but also would have the option of impose “irrevocable” terms on less-serious offenders. This sentence of truly non-coercive supervision would use the judge’s position at a nexus of the criminal justice system to coordinate the provision of reentry services to former prisoners, while also ensuring that the supervision itself never became a driver of imprisonment.

Press Release: Booker and Durbin Introduce Legislation Aimed at Increasing Membership within U.S. Sentencing Commission (November 30, 2021)

Research Article| April 01 2022 Press Release: Booker and Durbin Introduce Legislation Aimed at Increasing Membership within U.S. Sentencing Commission (November 30, 2021): Currently, the Commission fails to include representation from the public defender system Federal Sentencing Reporter (2022) 34 (4): 217. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.34.4.217 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Press Release: Booker and Durbin Introduce Legislation Aimed at Increasing Membership within U.S. Sentencing Commission (November 30, 2021): Currently, the Commission fails to include representation from the public defender system. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 April 2022; 34 (4): 217. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.34.4.217 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2022 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2022 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

The OLC Memo Was a Step in the Right Direction, but Federal Prisoners, on Home Confinement due to the CARES Act and in Prison, Need Mercy in the Form of Clemency

Research Article| April 01 2022 The OLC Memo Was a Step in the Right Direction, but Federal Prisoners, on Home Confinement due to the CARES Act and in Prison, Need Mercy in the Form of Clemency Amy Ralston Povah, Amy Ralston Povah CAN-DO Foundation Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Walt Pavlo Walt Pavlo Prisonology LLC Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2022) 34 (4): 263–267. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.34.4.263 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Amy Ralston Povah, Walt Pavlo; The OLC Memo Was a Step in the Right Direction, but Federal Prisoners, on Home Confinement due to the CARES Act and in Prison, Need Mercy in the Form of Clemency. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 April 2022; 34 (4): 263–267. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2022.34.4.263 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2022 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2022 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Might Structural Changes Be the Next Step for Federal Sentencing Reform?

The landmark First Step Act was given a name intended to signal that additional criminal justice reforms should be a continued focus for federal policy makers. But more than three years later, Congress has yet to pass any new sentencing reform laws. The introduction to the April 2022 Issue of the Federal Sentencing Reporter explores what could come next in the area of sentencing reform, with a particular focus on two new federal bills proposing notable structural changes to the federal sentencing system. The proposed Sentencing Commission Improvements Act and FIX Clemency Act are both commendable because they seek to alter key structures that have contributed to massive growth in the federal prison population.

A Trial Judge’s Reflections on Departures from the Federal Sentencing Guidelines

Research Article| February 01 2021 A Trial Judge’s Reflections on Departures from the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Hon. Jack B. Weinstein Hon. Jack B. Weinstein United States District Judge, Eastern District of New YorkAs part of this Issue dedicated to the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein (EDNY), we are pleased to reprint this article authored by Judge Weinstein. This article originally appeared in FSR Vol. 5, No. 1 at p. 6 (July/ August 1992)This paper was originally drafted as notes for a discussion at the March 2, 1992 meeting of the Sentencing Institute for the Second and Eighth Circuits in Lexington, Kentucky. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2021) 33 (3): 202–205. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2021.33.3.202 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Hon. Jack B. Weinstein; A Trial Judge’s Reflections on Departures from the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 February 2021; 33 (3): 202–205. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2021.33.3.202 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2021 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2021 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Some Reflections on Seven Lean Years of Guidelines Sentencing

Research Article| February 01 2021 Some Reflections on Seven Lean Years of Guidelines Sentencing Hon. Jack B. Weinstein Hon. Jack B. Weinstein As part of this Issue dedicated to the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein (EDNY), we are pleased to reprint this article authored by Judge Weinstein. It originally appeared in the July/August 1995 issue of FSR. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2021) 33 (3): 197–198. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2021.33.3.197 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Hon. Jack B. Weinstein; Some Reflections on Seven Lean Years of Guidelines Sentencing. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 February 2021; 33 (3): 197–198. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2021.33.3.197 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2021 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2021 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Jack Weinstein

This essay, for a symposium issue of the Federal Sentencing Reporter dedicated to the impact of Judge Jack Weinstein on the occasion of his retirement from the federal bench, highlights how Judge Weinstein has re-imagined the role of the district court judge. Through his judicial opinions, extrajudicial writings and speeches, and his innovative use of the court’s supervisory authority, Judge Weinstein has challenged, and in some cases altered, the status quo in the realm of criminal sentencing. In doing so, he has established a forceful example of how district court judges can use their position to advocate for and effect reform more broadly in the system they are called upon to administer – an example that some other judges already have embraced. In his scholarship, Judge Weinstein also has turned his critical lens inward and examined whether this work is consistent with the judicial role. He concludes that it is, but offers valuable guidance for other judges considering following in his footsteps for how to do so in a way that minimizes concerns about partiality. In the end, Judge Weinstein concludes that such work is not only permissible but required when judges perceive injustice. Few will be as creative, prolific, or persuasive as Judge Weinstein has been. But he leaves behind a fully articulated vision of an active district court judge and invites other judges to consider the kind of judge they want to be given the limits and possibilities that accompany their position.

Announcement of Nominations to the U.S. Sentencing Commission

Research Article| December 01 2020 Announcement of Nominations to the U.S. Sentencing Commission Federal Sentencing Reporter (2020) 33 (1-2): 148. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.33.1-2.148 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Announcement of Nominations to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 December 2020; 33 (1-2): 148. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.33.1-2.148 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2020 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2020 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Letter from FAMM about U.S. Sentencing Commission Nominees

Research Article| December 01 2020 Letter from FAMM about U.S. Sentencing Commission Nominees Federal Sentencing Reporter (2020) 33 (1-2): 149. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.33.1-2.149 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Letter from FAMM about U.S. Sentencing Commission Nominees. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 December 2020; 33 (1-2): 149. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.33.1-2.149 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2020 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2020 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Increasing Use of Home Confinement at Institutions Most Affected by COVID-19

Research Article| June 18 2020 Increasing Use of Home Confinement at Institutions Most Affected by COVID-19: Memorandum for Director of Bureau of Prisons Attorney General William P. Barr Attorney General William P. Barr Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2020) 32 (5): 292–293. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.32.5.292 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Attorney General William P. Barr; Increasing Use of Home Confinement at Institutions Most Affected by COVID-19: Memorandum for Director of Bureau of Prisons. Federal Sentencing Reporter 18 June 2020; 32 (5): 292–293. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.32.5.292 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2020 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2020 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

The High Costs of Low Risk

Research Article| June 18 2020 The High Costs of Low Risk: The Crisis of America’s Aging Prison Population The Osborne Association The Osborne Association Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2020) 32 (5): 319–324. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.32.5.319 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation The Osborne Association; The High Costs of Low Risk: The Crisis of America’s Aging Prison Population. Federal Sentencing Reporter 18 June 2020; 32 (5): 319–324. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.32.5.319 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2020 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2020 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Letter to Honorable Judges of the 17th Judicial District Regarding Public Health and Safety Preparations

Letter| May 11 2020 Letter to Honorable Judges of the 17th Judicial District Regarding Public Health and Safety Preparations Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2020) 32 (4): 245. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.32.4.245 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church; Letter to Honorable Judges of the 17th Judicial District Regarding Public Health and Safety Preparations. Federal Sentencing Reporter 11 May 2020; 32 (4): 245. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2020.32.4.245 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2020 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved.2020 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.