Promoting Fairer and more Uniform Sentencing Practice
The Commission on Sentencing published for public comment the following in the Pennsylvania Bulletin: Proposed 8th Edition Sentencing Guidelines, Proposed Resentencing Guidelines (Amendment 2) and Proposed New Resentencing Guidelines (for 8th Edition), and Proposed State Parole Recommitment Ranges on January 7, 2023 (53 Pa.B. 1). The following six public hearings have been scheduled to receive public comment on the various guideline proposals.
Hearing I
Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Stout Center for Criminal Justice, Courtroom 507, 1301 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA
Hearing II
Date: Friday, February 17, 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Northampton County Courthouse, Courtroom 1, 669 Washington Street, Easton, PA
Hearing III
Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Duquesne University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, 208 Hanley Hall, 900 Locust Street, Pittsburgh, PA
Hearing IV
Date: Monday, February 27, 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Remote Only – Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Registration is open to the public; testimony is limited to incarcerated individuals.
Zoom Webinar: https://bit.ly/DOCPubHrng2023Feb27
Hearing V
Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Erie County Courthouse, Courtroom D-214, 140 West 6th Street, Erie, PA
Hearing VI
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Zoom Webinar: https://bit.ly/PCSPubHrng2023March8
On-site location: K. Leroy Irvis Office Building, Room 523, 450 Commonwealth Avenue, Harrisburg, PA
Registration and testimony are open to the public. Those wishing to attend or testify at Zoom Webinar hearings may register where links appear above. To testify in person register by contacting Cathy Dittman (814-863-5729 or cwd2@psu.edu).
Persons or organizations scheduled to testify (in-person or via Zoom Webinar) are asked to provide an electronic copy of any testimony at least five business days prior to the hearing. Those not wishing to testify should submit comments at least five business days before the last-scheduled public hearing. Forward all testimony and comments to Cathy Dittman (cwd2@psu.edu).
The Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing invites proposals from qualified web application development firms for the rebuild and expansion of the Commission’s sentencing guidelines software web application (SGS Web) in compliance with the requirements and terms set forth in the RFP published here:
Questions received from vendors and the responses from the Commission are available here:
All responses to this RFP should be sent via email to Kristie Bundro at PCSRFP@psu.edu. The deadline for submission is January 31, 2023.
The Commission is an agency of the General Assembly affiliated with The Pennsylvania State University and is seeking applications for:
Executive Director: The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, and in collaboration with two Deputy Directors, leads and manages the Commission consistent with the Commission’s enabling legislation and directives approved by the Commission. The Executive Director leads the Commission’s policy and legislative activities; is the primary point of contact with the leadership of the General Assembly, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, the Governor’s Office, and other departments, agencies, and organizations, and with the media; builds strategic partnerships to advance Commission goals; directs a $3 million operating budget, including the preparation of an annual appropriation request and other funding requests; and engages with administrative units of the University to negotiate agreements, review procedures, and ensure compliance with relevant policies.
Education and Outreach Manager: The position oversees the work of the Education and Outreach Unit and its staff, and is responsible for policy support work, facilities management of the Commission’s Harrisburg office, as well as educational and outreach activities including presentations and speaking engagements. Additionally, this position oversees the creation of other outreach efforts in the form of training materials, newsletters, annual reports, website documentation, and ad hoc work projects.
Education and Outreach Specialist: The position provides direct services involving education and outreach for Pennsylvania criminal justice practitioners, and to provide staff support for the development and implementation of policies adopted by the Commission.
Act 81 of 2008 required the Commission to adopt parole guidelines to be considered by the Pennsylvania Parole Board or any other paroling authority. The Commission adopted the state parole guidelines in June 2022 and submitted the guidelines to the General Assembly on October 1, 2022, through publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The State Parole Guidelines apply to all persons sentenced to a state correctional institution and who are being considered for parole on or after January 1, 2023. To review the adopted guidelines click here
The PA Commission on Sentencing held Policy Meetings on December 7 & 8, 2022 in 523 Irvis Building, Capitol Complex, Harrisburg, PA and via Zoom Webinar. To view the meeting materials, click here.
The PA Commission on Sentencing held a Quarterly Commission Meeting on December 8, 2022 in 523 Irvis Building, Capitol Complex, Harrisburg, PA and via Zoom Webinar. To view the meeting materials, click here.
House Resolution 111 directed the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing to conduct a thorough and comprehensive study on the investigation, prosecution, and sentencing of violations of the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act of 1995 (VUFA), and to report its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives no later than June 30, 2022. View report here.