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Sentencing Law and Policy
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Lots of new federal sentencing data from the USSC

By Douglas Berman

I am so very pleased to discover that the US Sentencing Commission has a lot of new data on its website this morning.  Here is what’s there as described by the USSC (with links):

  • September 2008 Preliminary Post-Kimbrough/Gall Data Report: An updated set of tables presenting preliminary data on fiscal year 2008 cases sentenced on or after December 10, 2007 through June 30, 2008.  This report was prepared using data received, coded, and edited by the Commission by September 8, 2008.
  • FY2008 3rd Quarterly Sentencing Update: An extensive set of tables and charts presenting cumulative quarterly data on cases sentenced in fiscal year 2008. The numbers are prepared using data from cases in which the defendant was sentenced by the close-of-business on June 30, 2008 and which were received, coded, and edited by the Commission by September 8, 2008.
  • Data on Retroactive Application of the Crack Cocaine Amendment: A set of tables presenting preliminary data on cases in which a motion for a reduced sentence was considered under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2).  These cases involve retroactive application of the crack cocaine amendment to the sentencing guidelines (Amendment 706, as amended by Amendment 711) which became effective on November 1, 2007 and which was made retroactive effective March 3, 2008. The report represents those cases considered by the courts through August 26, 2008 and for which data was received, coded, and edited by the Commission as of August 29, 2008.

After I get a chance to chew on all these data, I will comment in a separate post concerning anything that seems especially notable in the numbers.