TY - JOUR
T1 - Prosecutorial Discretion and Real-Offense Sentencing
T2 - An Analysis of Relevant Conduct under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines
AU - Wilmot, Keith A.
AU - Spohn, Cassia
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - The primary objective of the federal sentencing guidelines is to reduce judicial discretion and unwarranted disparity by prescribing like sentences for like defendants convicted of the same offense. The guidelines are based on real-offense sentencing, which links relevant conduct or actual offense behavior to the sentencing process. This study analyzes the indictment stage where the charging decisions by the federal prosecutor in conjunction with relevant conduct are first conceived. Our major finding is that the number of counts within the indictment has a statistically significant effect on the length of sentence, the magnitude of the discount for downward departures, and the ratio of the difference between the presumptive sentence and the sentence discount. The number of counts has no effect on the offender’s likelihood of receiving either a downward departure or a substantial assistance departure. This suggests that offenders convicted of the same crime do not necessarily receive the same sentence.
AB - The primary objective of the federal sentencing guidelines is to reduce judicial discretion and unwarranted disparity by prescribing like sentences for like defendants convicted of the same offense. The guidelines are based on real-offense sentencing, which links relevant conduct or actual offense behavior to the sentencing process. This study analyzes the indictment stage where the charging decisions by the federal prosecutor in conjunction with relevant conduct are first conceived. Our major finding is that the number of counts within the indictment has a statistically significant effect on the length of sentence, the magnitude of the discount for downward departures, and the ratio of the difference between the presumptive sentence and the sentence discount. The number of counts has no effect on the offender’s likelihood of receiving either a downward departure or a substantial assistance departure. This suggests that offenders convicted of the same crime do not necessarily receive the same sentence.
KW - federal sentencing guidelines
KW - prosecutorial discretion
KW - real-offense sentencing
KW - relevant conduct
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992804695&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1177/0887403403259434
DO - 10.1177/0887403403259434
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84992804695
SN - 0887-4034
VL - 15
SP - 324
EP - 343
JO - Criminal Justice Policy Review
JF - Criminal Justice Policy Review
IS - 3
ER -