This report summarizes proceedings and recommendations of "A National Symposium on Sentencing: The Judicial Response to Crime," held in November 1997.
The conference was an opportunity for key actors in the criminal justice system (judges, legislators, corrections officials, victim advocates, journalists, prosecutors, defense attorneys and others) to examine a range of sentencing issues and generate recommendations for specific changes in law, policy and procedure to help the courts better accomplish the goals of sentencing and improve the public’s confidence in the justice system. Recommendations included the following: (1) Educate everybody through, e.g., court-sponsored outreach programs and Web pages that explain the criminal justice system; (2) Find what works; (3) Exercise judicial leadership; (4) Eliminate bias, including mandatory diversity training for judges and prosecutors; (5) Use resources better; and (6) Build coalitions. Figures, references, appendixes, bibliography