Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
U.S. Sentencing Commission proposes expanding guideline zones B and C to widen sentencing options
Summary
The United States Sentencing Commission voted to publish proposed amendments that would expand sentencing-table zones B and C, increasing the number of defendants eligible for probation-like sentencing options; the public comment period runs through March 18, 2026.
Amy Dezember, Senior Research Associate in the Office of Research and Data at the United States Sentencing Commission, said on Jan. 30, 2026 that the Commission voted to publish proposed amendments to the United States Sentencing Guidelines that would expand zones B and C of the sentencing table, increasing the availability of non‑imprisonment sentencing options for certain defendants.
The proposed Part B amendment would leave Zone A unchanged but broaden Zone B to include guideline ranges "from 4 to 57 months for criminal history category 1" and "1 to 18 months for the other criminal history categories," and would expand Zone C to include guideline ranges "from 51 to 108 months for criminal history category 1," "15 to 24 months for criminal history categories 2 through 4," and "15 to 21 months for criminal history categories 5 and 6," Dezember said. Under the proposal, the expanded…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
