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Possibility of California sentencing commission continues to generate controversy

By Douglas A. Berman

Those scholars who focus on sentencing issues disagree about plenty, but there tends to be consensus in the academic community that the creation of a sentencing commission can help a jurisdiction reform (or at least monitor) criminal justice law and practices effectively.  Yet, as revealed by this Sacramento Bee article, which is headlined "Sentencing panel sets off alarms," just the creation of a sentencing commission in California is controversial.  Here are the basics: A package of money-saving prison measures that lawmakers will debate today includes creation of an appointed commission with broad powers to rewrite sentencing guidelines. The state's police chiefs and district attorneys associations slammed the sentencing commission proposal, saying it would give an unelected body authority to transform sentencing laws...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on August 20, 2009 (boomark / email).