The sentencing reform act of 1984: A bold approach to the unwarranted sentencing disparity problem

Conclusion In 1984, after years of study and thorough debate, a bipartisan majority of the Congress enacted perhaps the most far-reaching reform of the federal criminal justice system in the history of the United States. The Sentencing Reform Act and the federal sentencing guidelines are now beginning to produce data indicating that the objectives of avoiding unwarranted disparity and invidious discrimination are being achieved.After an uncertain beginning, the guidelines are gaining acceptance by courts and criminal justice practitioners. As one appellate court observed in admonishing lower courts that the guidelines must be respected:We have embarked on a new course. Only time will tell whether the use of the guidelines will result in an improvement over the old system. But unless we follow the spirit and written directions of the guidelines, we will never know if they have been given a fair test. They at least deserve that.Indeed, the bold new approach to sentencing that is being followed today in federal courthouses throughout the United States deserves an opportunity to succeed, given its many beneficial features and the lofty goals toward which the reforms are directed. While ample work remains for the United States Sentencing Commission to monitor and improve the guidelines, indications at this still early date are that the experiment is succeeding.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the fifth conference of the Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, Parliament House, Edinburgh, Scotland, August 5–9, 1990. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the United States Sentencing Commission.B.A., Davidson College 1964; J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law 1967.B.A., Ohio State University 1974; M.S., Arizona State University 1980; M.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1983.B.S., Clemson University 1971; M.S., Clemson University 1975; J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law 1978.     

Psychological obstacles to administrative responsibility: Lessons of the MOVE disaster

Investigative bodies and other observers have attributed much of the blame for the 1985 MOVE catastrophe in Philadelphia to ineffective management by the city's previously successful mayor, W. Wilson Goode. Goode's behavior toward the disruptive extremist group followed two patterns, both paradoxical: protracted delay followed by excessive haste, and arms-length action that contrasted sharply with his usual hands-on management style. Drawing on the theory of decisionmaking developed by Irving Janis and Leon Mann, this paper suggests that both paradoxes resulted from unresolved decisional conflicts that impeded responsible and rational handling of the problem. The case points to the value of devoting more attention to the psychology of decision-making in educating present and future public managers.     

日本"国家正常化":美国的对策

日本追求"国家正常化"运动的内涵深刻而广泛,已成为影响东北亚格局的一个重要因素。美国对于日本"国家正常化"的认识相对狭隘,集中反映出其对日政策重点从控制转为利用,期待通过对日本"国家正常化"的有限推进使之逐步成为美国的全球伙伴。但美国的对策与日本自身对"国家正常化"的战略期待存在差异,故美对策中隐含着难以克服的多种矛盾。     

文莱：2005年政治社会稳定 经济平稳增长

2005年文莱内阁改组顺利,政治社会稳定,世界石油价格的飞涨带动其以石油天然气为主要产业的经济继续平稳增长,政府实行的经济多元化发展战略取得了一定的成效。一、经济平稳增长(一)石油天然气出口继续带动经济增长2005年全球石油供应紧张,加上中东石油供应不畅,造成了世界石油     

Fatal accidents on glaciers: forensic, criminological, and glaciological conclusions

The rare event of a corpse immersed in glacier ice becoming exposed on a glacier surface is closely connected with the glaciological conditions at the scene and the site of the accident. Provided that the time since death is known, certain questions relative to the circumstances of a mountain accident can only be answered by considering glaciological aspects. How the scene of an accident can be reconstructed by inference from the site of discovery is discussed by means of three exemplary cases that occurred on Tyrolean glaciers (Austria) during the past 40 years: (1) Two corpses were discovered close above the equilibrium line in the accumulation area after 25 years. The two victims had fallen down a rock face after the breaking off of a cornice and had come to rest in the uppermost part of the accumulation area. (2) A victim was discovered in the lower ablation area 8 years after falling down a crevasse in the middle part of the ablation area. (3) A female alpinist was discovered at the very end of the glacier after 29 years; it was concluded that the accident must have happened in the accumulation area.     

印裔美国人现状及对印度的影响

美国是个移民国家,印裔在美国的移民尤其是新移民中占有重要地位。印裔是美国新移民中增长较快的一支,在美国的科技、经济、文化和社会生活中发挥着日益重要的影响。     

长征结束后的第一次征集活动

几年前,国内一些报刊相继刊载了一则消息:有人在美国哈佛大学燕京图书馆,看到朱德签名赠给斯诺的《红军长征记》初版本。笔者以为,媒体之所以以此为新闻,概因此书是1942年在延安出版的党内参考资料,如今存世不多。其实,此书在陕西省档案馆早有保存,该馆资料室缪先生告诉笔者《,