Intermediate Sanctions In Sentencing Guidelines

Sentencing guidelines & intermediate sanctions are two of the most significant criminal justice policy developments in recent decades. Half the States have adopted or considered statewide guidelines; & in early 1997, sentencing commissions were at work in more than 20 States. Intermediate sanctions have proliferated since 1980. This report describes separately the past 20 years of the respective policy & research developments of sentencing guidelines & intermediate sanctions; & the modest efforts, to date, to combine the two. Includes suggestions of next steps that policymakers might consider. Tables & figures.

The National Institute of Justice of the United States Department of Justice presents the full text of an article entitled "Intermediate Sanctions in Sentencing Guidelines," by Michael Tonry. The article discusses sentencing guidelines, intermediate sanctions, boot camps, house arrest and electronic monitoring, and monetary penalties.

Alternatives to prison and incarceration are explored in this volume. The contributors discuss intensive probation supervision, electronic monitoring, home confinement, shock incarceration, day reporting centres, the use of fines, split sentencing and the controversial issues surrounding alternative punishments. In conclusion, they look at the future of intermediate sanctions considering the many questions posed by criminal justice professionals and students.

This collection of original essays surveys the evolution of sentencing policies and practices in Western countries over the past twenty-five years. Contributors address plea-bargaining, community service, electronic monitoring, standards of use of incarceration, and legal perspectives on sentencing policy developments, among other topics. Sentencing and Sanctions in Western Countries provides a range of scholars and students excellent cross-national knowledge of sentencing laws and practices, when and why they have changed over time, and with what effects.