Felony Sentencing Committee
This committee focuses on several areas around the sentencing process in felony criminal cases. Its duties include:
Recommend to the Court improvements to the quality, consistency, and timeliness of the information available to judges at sentencing, including information from the Department of Correction as to availability of programming as well as other sentencing information;
Work with the Judicial Education Committee in providing training and developing evidence-based sentencing curriculum materials and forms for new judges and all district court judges annually thereafter;
Continue development of a useful system for collection from and distribution to district judges of data on the sentences that district judges are imposing that reflects the variables relevant to the sentence imposed, and make recommendations to the Court for implementation;
Facilitate data informed policymaking regarding sentencing and correctional practices by collecting and analyzing data, such as who is sentenced to prison, how long ·individuals are imprisoned, who is paroled, and when are they paroled;
Provide evidence-based information to district judges on the continuum of sentencing alternatives, including diversion, treatment courts, and other community-based programs, to assist them in determining which alternatives most effectively reduce recidivism; and
As needed, act as a liaison to the Department of Correction in all matters relating to the improvement of pre-sentence investigations, probation supervision, sentencing alternatives, and other sentencing matters of interest to district judges.