This seminar examines sentencing guidelines reforms in Minnesota, other states, and the federal system—the origins of these reforms (critiques of the prior, indeterminate sentencing model), underlying sentencing purposes and other normative principles, guidelines provisions and interpretive case law, relationship of guidelines rules to other criminal justice processes (e.g., prosecutorial discretion and plea bargaining), evolution of guidelines systems over time, and future prospects. Particular attention will be given to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines, the revised Model Penal code (MPC)sentencing provisions (further developing the Minnesota approach), and possible further improvements in the Minnesota and MPC models. A term paper is required.
