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Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing

Guidelines & Statutes

Comprehensive Review of Sentencing Guidelines

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Comprehensive Review of Sentencing Guidelines

The Commission is undertaking a comprehensive review of its Sentencing Guidelines.  Many individuals have contributed their time and expertise to this process.

Presentation (June 2021)

Video Recording (June 2021)

  • Rationales for the Use of Prior Record at Sentencing (Memo 2020)
  • Prior Record Score Review (Presentation 2020)
  • The Impact of Juvenile Adjudications on Adult Prior Record Scores (Memo 2021)
  • Summary of Comprehensive Review:  8th Edition Sentencing Guidelines.  (Report June 2021)
  • Final Recommendations (related to Commission) related to more targeted guideline recommendation and reduction in the impact of PRS.  (Presentation 2016)
  • Act 115 of 2019 — specific changes related to Commission/guidelines, including changes to 42/2154 (factors considered in guidelines, modification of criminal history, creation of probation guidelines); 42/2154.1 (guidelines for restrictive conditions and link to certification of compliance); and 42/2154.7 (use of risk assessment to help determine intensity of intervention, use of restrictive conditions and duration of supervision).  (Summary)

Much of the work in developing and adopting the Sentence Risk Assessment Instrument informed aspects of the comprehensive review of the sentencing guidelines, including the uneven/limited use of PRS reports and the lack of information for consideration prior to sentencing on RNR; and the use of RNR to inform the duration and intensity of community supervision.

  • Presentation (2018)
  • An Empirical Reconstruction of the Prior Record Score, Heinz College Systems Synthesis Project, Carnegie Mellon University.  (Report 2018)
  • Prior Record Reform Project, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law Community Lawyering Clinic.  (Report 2019)