United States Sentencing Commission

The United States Sentencing Commission is an independent agency of the judicial branch of the federal government of the United States.[1] It is responsible for articulating the sentencing guidelines for the United States federal courts. The Commission promulgates the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which replaced the prior system of indeterminate sentencing that allowed trial judges to give sentences ranging from probation to the maximum statutory punishment for the offense. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

United States Sentencing Commission
Agency overview
Formed1984
JurisdictionUnited States Judiciary
HeadquartersThurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building Washington, D.C.
Employees100
Agency executive
Websitewww.ussc.gov
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The commission was created by the Sentencing Reform Act provisions of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984.[1] The constitutionality of the commission was challenged as a congressional encroachment on the power of the executive but upheld by the Supreme Court in Mistretta v. United States, 488 U.S. 361 (1989).

The U.S. Sentencing Commission was established by Congress as a permanent, independent agency within the judicial branch.[1] The seven members of the Commission are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, for a term of six years.[1] Commission members may be reappointed to one additional term, also with the advice and consent of the Senate. Three of the members must be federal judges, and no more than four may belong to the same political party.[1] The United States Attorney General or his designee and the chair of the United States Parole Commission sit as ex officio, non-voting members of the Commission.[1]

Current membership
Member Occupation Date appointed Term expiration
Charles R. Breyer
(Commissioner)		 Senior Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of California March 21, 2017 October 31, 2021
Danny C. Reeves
(Commissioner)		 Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky March 21, 2017 October 31, 2021
Patricia K. Cushwa
(Ex officio) (non-voting)		 Acting Chair, United States Parole Commission —— ——
David Rybicki
(Ex officio) (non-voting) (Attorney General's designee)		 Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice —— ——

2015 actions

After a visit to a federal prison in Oklahoma by President Barack Obama in July 2015,[2] the Commission issued new retroactive sentencing guidelines in October which lowered sentences for many drug offenders. The sentencing panel estimated that roughly 46,000 of 100,000 drug offenders serving federal sentences would qualify for early release. 6,000 would be released in November but 1/3 of those inmates were to be turned over to I.C.E. for deportation proceedings.[3][4] The commission's change represents an overall change in prosecution of drug-related offences.[5] In response to the change, senators, in a bipartisan effort, are attempting to reduce minimum sentences for these offences.[6]

See also

References
  1. "An Overview of the United States Sentencing Commission" (PDF). United States Sentencing Commission. United States Sentencing Commission. Archived from the original on 12 August 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2011.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  2. "Obama Visits Federal Prison, A First For A Sitting President".
  3. "U.S. to release 6,000 federal prisoners - Washington Post".
  4. "U.S. to release 6,000 federal inmates as part of prison reform". 6 October 2015.
  5. "The US Is Going to Let Nearly 6,000 Drug Offenders Out of Federal Prison Early - VICE News".
  6. Project, The Marshall (7 October 2015). "What You Need To Know About The New Federal Prisoner Release" – via Huff Post.
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