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Commission considers adding a statement on 'public safety' to guide sentencing decisions
Summary
A University of Minnesota professor proposed language to broaden the guidelines' statement of purposes to clarify what the commission means by 'public safety,' prompting discussion about whether and how to define public‑safety and proportionality concepts in the guidelines.
The Sentencing Guidelines Commission heard a policy proposal on Thursday to add clarifying language to the guidelines’ statement of purposes that would define what the commission means by "public safety." The discussion focused on whether defining the term would help guide judges and commissioners or instead risk introducing circular or contested concepts into the guidelines.
Professor Kevin Wright of the University of Minnesota presented a draft sentence that would add to guideline 1A a reminder that public safety can be advanced through multiple means, and that judges should exercise "reasonable caution" when using…
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