Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics

Are you interested in federal criminal prosecution or defense?  Do you need reliable, current crime and sentencing statistics for a research paper or assignment?  The United States Sentencing Commission has just released its free, online 2014 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics (scroll down for links to the content).  The Sourcebook contains statistics on federal crimes and offenders and the application of the federal sentencing guidelines in selected districts, circuits, and nationally. It includes numerical and demographic data on offenders by crime category, statistics on guilty pleas and trials, comparisons of sentences to the guideline range, data from drug and immigration cases, and sentencing appeals information.

Best of all, there is an Interactive Sourcebook where you can create customized statistical tables and filter data by circuit, district, and date. For historical or comparative statistics, consult the Annual Reports & Sourcebooks Archives, containing all Sourcebooks back to the 1996 first edition.      

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New database on collateral consequences of a conviction

For those studying or investigating criminal law and the consequences to convictions, the ABA has established a nation-wide database of collateral consequences.

Check out the Project Description link for further detail - or just start clicking on your favorite state and see what you can learn.

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Death Penalty Developments

In the state of California, Presidential election night 2012 was also about crime and punishment. You may be aware that California voters approved Proposition 36, to revise that state's well known "Three Strikes" law [California Penal Code Sec. 667] to no longer apply a life sentence for a third (even non-violent) felony conviction after two previous convictions for violent felonies. Under the revised law, those convicted of a third felony, unless the third felony itself was a violent or serious one, will serve twice the minimum sentence for the third felony and not receive a life sentence.

At the same time, a majority in California also voted to retain that state's death penalty on Tuesday. Proposition 34, which would have replaced the death penalty with sentences of life without parole, went down to defeat. The death penalty, and its economic, social, and policy implications, will remain a "hot topic" issue for legal scholars, attorneys, and law students.  A good starting point for background and all types of resources on the death penalty is the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC).  This nonpartisan organization provides news and current developments, reports, maps, statistics, surveys, links to academic articles, coverage of the history of the death penalty with bibliographic references for research papers and projects, and analysis of specific death penalty issues, such as clemency or juveniles.  

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

"Collateral Consequences" of Convictions Site Launched

Those convicted of crimes know that re-entering society will be difficult.  What many don't appreciate is the full extent of the "collateral consequences"--the legal restrictions, disabilities, or disadvantages that are triggered by state or federal convictions and imposed either by their state or the federal system.  They rely on their attorneys to advise them about restrictions on employment and licensing (from school bus driver to apprentice electrician), on housing, voting, and holding office, and on requirements for public notification of a criminal record.

This week, the American Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section and the National Institute of Justice launched a new website, fulfilling a Congressional directive to provide lawyers and the general public with this important information. Right now, an inventory of collateral consequences for New York and seven other states is searchable by triggering offense category, consequence category, and keyword.  Federal categories and consequences are included, and a helpful User Guide adds to the site's value. The target date for adding all jurisdictions is December 2013. Check out this important new site for attorneys, law students, and clients. 

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Death Penalty Information Center

It has been more than three years since my last post about the Death Penalty Information Center, so it's time for an update. This nonprofit site remains a valuable resource for law students and faculty, with statistics, reports, state-by-state information, and the latest news on death penalty legislation, sentencing, and other issues. This is a great place to begin a research paper or just to keep up to date on developments related to the death penalty in the U.S. legal system.

The latest news from the Center is their free mobile app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. As described here on the Sentencing Law and Policy blog, this application provides mobile access to the key resources available on the web site.



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New York Criminal Law Research Can Be Easy

Sometimes trial attorneys do not like doing legal research. And all criminal lawyers are trial attorneys.

That is why some criminal lawyers should be glad to know that, often, no intensive research is required to find very good explanations of New York's criminal statutes. This is because the Practice Commentaries by Judge William Donnino which appear throughout the McKinney's copy of the New York Penal statutes (and on Westlaw) are excellent.



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No Felonies for 3Ls

New York Lawyer reports that Ohio has become the 42nd state to allow third year law students to handle felony cases, but New York has no plans to join that group.



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