Education & Outreach

Seminar Information

Seminar Information

The Commission devotes significant resources to educational programs in sentencing, the application of sentencing guidelines, and specific topics for court professionals, legislative members and staff, and others working in the criminal justice system. The Commission offers seminars approved for credits by the Pennsylvania Continuing Judicial Education Board (PACJEB) and the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board (PACLE), and collaborates with the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), county bar associations, and other county and state agencies to provide education on sentencing and the guidelines. If you have questions about seminars or trainings, please contact: Ryan S. Meyers, Manager, rsm208@psu.edu; Office: 814.865.0078; Cell: 814.810.0550.

The Commission’s standard seminar series resumes this February. Please check this page or visit the Commission Calendar for upcoming dates and for registration. At this time, posted seminars will be held remotely, via Zoom, unless otherwise noted.

Seminars

Sentencing Fundamentals

This seminar will provide an overview of the basics of sentencing in Pennsylvania and will focus on sentence structure and sentencing related statutes. Some of the topics that will be covered are minimum/maximum penalties, place of confinement and JRI-II.

Sentencing Guidelines Fundamentals

This seminar will include a comprehensive explanation of the sentencing guidelines. Topics that will be covered are: Offense Gravity Score, Prior Record Score, and sentence recommendations focused on the 7th Edition Sentencing Guidelines and its amendments.

SGS Web Application Overview

This seminar will provide an overview of the Commission on Sentencing’s Sentencing Guidelines Software (SGS Web) to include a description of the application’s various modules and flow of cases, an explanation of user roles, and a summary of available data reports. CLE credits will not be provided for this seminar.

Sentencing Commission Related Updates

This seminar will highlight Amendment 6 to the 7th Edition Sentencing Guidelines and Amendment 1 to the Resentencing Guidelines as well as highlight proposals being considered and developed by the Commission on Sentencing.

Requesting Seminars

Commission staff are available to provide trainings/seminars on topics upon request (e.g., sentencing guidelines, Commission updates, risk assessment, and SGS Web). Topics and time frames can be tailored to fit the needs of your agency. For information regarding requested trainings/seminars, please contact Ryan S. Meyers, Manager: rsm208@psu.edu or 814-865-0078.

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sentencing guidelines.