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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
1. Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
2. Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
3. Resolution of Major Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
4. The Basic Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
5. A Concluding Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
vi
Part B-Probation and Supervised Release Violations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
CHAPTER EIGHT - Sentencing of Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
Part A-General Application Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
Part B-Remedying Harm from Criminal Conduct, and Effective Compliance
and Ethics Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
1. Remedying Harm from Criminal Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
2. Effective Compliance and Ethics Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
Part C-Fines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
1. Determining the Fine - Criminal Purpose Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
2. Determining the Fine - Other Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
3. Implementing the Sentence of a Fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
4. Departures from the Guideline Fine Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Part D-Organizational Probation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Part E-Special Assessments, Forfeitures, and Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
Part F-Violations of Probation - Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
APPENDIX A - Statutory Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
APPENDIX B - Selected Sentencing Statutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536
INDEX TO GUIDELINES MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634
SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUMES
APPENDIX C (Volume I) - Amendments to the Guidelines Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
(effective November 1, 1997, and earlier)
APPENDIX C (Volume II) - Amendments to the Guidelines Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
(effective November 1, 1998, through November 5, 2003)
SUPPLEMENT to APPENDIX C - Amendments to the Guidelines Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
(effective November 1, 2004, through November 1, 2005)
November 1, 2005 GUIDELINES MANUAL §1A1.1
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CHAPTER ONE - AUTHORITY
AND GENERAL APPLICATION PRINCIPLES
PART A - AUTHORITY
§1A1.1. Authority
The guidelines, policy statements, and commentary set forth in this Guidelines Manual,
including amendments thereto, are promulgated by the United States Sentencing
Commission pursuant to: (1) section 994(a) of title 28, United States Code; and (2) with
respect to guidelines, policy statements, and commentary promulgated or amended
pursuant to specific congressional directive, pursuant to the authority contained in that
directive in addition to the authority under section 994(a) of title 28, United States Code.
Commentary
Application Note:
1. Historical Review of Original Introduction.—Part A of Chapter One originally was an
introduction to the Guidelines Manual that explained a number of policy decisions made by the
Commission when it promulgated the initial set of guidelines. This introduction was amended
occasionally between 1987 and 2003. In 2003, as part of the Commission’s implementation
of the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act
of 2003 (the "PROTECT Act", Public Law 108–21), the original introduction was transferred
to the Editorial Note at the end of this guideline. The Commission encourages the review of
this material for context and historical purposes.
Background: The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 changed the course of federal sentencing. Among
other things, the Act created the United States Sentencing Commission as an independent agency in
the Judicial Branch, and directed it to develop guidelines and policy statements for sentencing courts
to use when sentencing offenders convicted of federal crimes. Moreover, it empowered the
Commission with ongoing responsibilities to monitor the guidelines, submit to Congress appropriate
modifications of the guidelines and recommended changes in criminal statutes, and establish
education and research programs. The mandate rested on Congressional awareness that sentencing
was a dynamic field that requires continuing review by an expert body to revise sentencing policies,
in light of application experience, as new criminal statutes are enacted, and as more is learned about
what motivates and controls criminal behavior.
Historical Note: Effective November 1, 1987. Amended effective November 1, 1989 (see Appendix C, amendments 67 and 68); November
1, 1990 (see Appendix C, amendment 307); November 1, 1992 (see Appendix C, amendment 466); November 1, 1995 (see Appendix C,
amendment 534); November 1, 1996 (see Appendix C, amendment 538); November 1, 2000 (see Appendix C, amendments 602 and 603);
October 27, 2003 (see Appendix C, amendment 651).
Editorial Note: Chapter One, Part A, as in effect on November 1, 1987, read as follows:
§1A1.1 GUIDELINES MANUAL November 1, 2005
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" CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION
AND GENERAL APPLICATION PRINCIPLES
PART A - INTRODUCTION
1. Authority
The United States Sentencing Commission (‘Commission’) is an independent agency in the judicial branch composed of seven
voting and two non-voting, ex officio members. Its principal purpose is to establish sentencing policies and practices for the federal
criminal justice system that will assure the ends of justice by promulgating detailed guidelines prescribing the appropriate sentences for
offenders convicted of federal crimes.
The guidelines and policy statements promulgated by the Commission are issued pursuant to Section 994(a) of Title 28, United
States Code.
2. The Statutory Mission
The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 foresees guidelines that will further the basic purposes of criminal punishment,
i.e., deterring crime, incapacitating the offender, providing just punishment, and rehabilitating the offender. It delegates to the Commission
broad authority to review and rationalize the federal sentencing process.
The statute contains many detailed instructions as to how this determination should be made, but the most important of them
instructs the Commission to create categories of offense behavior and offender characteristics. An offense behavior category might consist,
for example, of ‘bank robbery/committed with a gun/$2500 taken.’ An offender characteristic category might be ‘offender with one prior
conviction who was not sentenced to imprisonment.’ The Commission is required to prescribe guideline ranges that specify an appropriate
sentence for each class of convicted persons, to be determined by coordinating the offense behavior categories with the offender
characteristic categories. The statute contemplates the guidelines will establish a range of sentences for every coordination of categories.
Where the guidelines call for imprisonment, the range must be narrow: the maximum imprisonment cannot exceed the minimum by more
than the greater of 25 percent or six months. 28 U.S.C. § 994(b)(2).
The sentencing judge must select a sentence from within the guideline range. If, however, a particular case presents atypical
features, the Act allows the judge to depart from the guidelines and sentence outside the range. In that case, the judge must specify reasons
for departure. 18 U.S.C. § 3553(b). If the court sentences within the guideline range, an appellate court may review the sentence to see
if the guideline was correctly applied. If the judge departs from the guideline range, an appellate court may review the reasonableness of
the departure. 18 U.S.C. § 3742. The Act requires the offender to serve virtually all of any prison sentence imposed, for it abolishes parole
and substantially restructures good behavior adjustments.
The law requires the Commission to send its initial guidelines to Congress by April 13, 1987, and under the present statute they
take effect automatically on November 1, 1987. Pub. L. No. 98-473, § 235, reprinted at 18 U.S.C. § 3551. The Commission may submit
guideline amendments each year to Congress between the beginning of a regular session and May 1. The amendments will take effect
automatically 180 days after submission unless a law is enacted to the contrary. 28 U.S.C. § 994(p).
The Commission, with the aid of its legal and research staff, considerable public testimony, and written commentary, has developed
an initial set of guidelines which it now transmits to Congress. The Commission emphasizes, however, that it views the guideline-writing
process as evolutionary. It expects, and the governing statute anticipates, that continuing research, experience, and analysis will result in
modifications and revisions to the guidelines by submission of amendments to Congress. To this end, the Commission is established as
a permanent agency to monitor sentencing practices in the federal courts throughout the nation.
3. The Basic Approach (Policy Statement)
To understand these guidelines and the rationale that underlies them, one must begin with the three objectives that Congress, in
enacting the new sentencing law, sought to achieve. Its basic objective was to enhance the ability of the criminal justice system to reduce
crime through an effective, fair sentencing system. To achieve this objective, Congress first sought honesty in sentencing. It sought to avoid
the confusion and implicit deception that arises out of the present sentencing system which requires a judge to impose an indeterminate
sentence that is automatically reduced in most cases by ‘good time’ credits. In addition, the parole commission is permitted to determine
how much of the remainder of any prison sentence an offender actually will serve. This usually results in a substantial reduction in the
effective length of the sentence imposed, with defendants often serving only about one-third of the sentence handed down by the court.
Second, Congress sought uniformity in sentencing by narrowing the wide disparity in sentences imposed by different federal courts
for similar criminal conduct by similar offenders. Third, Congress sought proportionality in sentencing through a system that imposes
appropriately different sentences for criminal conduct of different severity.
Honesty is easy to achieve: The abolition of parole makes the sentence imposed by the court the sentence the offender will serve.
There is a tension, however, between the mandate of uniformity (treat similar cases alike) and the mandate of proportionality (treat different
cases differently) which, like the historical tension between law and equity, makes it difficult to achieve both goals simultaneously. Perfect
uniformity -- sentencing every offender to five years -- destroys proportionality. Having only a few simple categories of crimes would make
the guidelines uniform and easy to administer, but might lump together offenses that are different in important respects. For example, a
November 1, 2005 GUIDELINES MANUAL §1A1.1
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single category for robbery that lumps together armed and unarmed robberies, robberies with and without injuries, robberies of a few dollars
and robberies of millions, is far too broad.
At the same time, a sentencing system tailored to fit every conceivable wrinkle of each case can become unworkable and seriously
compromise the certainty of punishment and its deterrent effect. A bank robber with (or without) a gun, which the robber kept hidden (or
brandished), might have frightened (or merely warned), injured seriously (or less seriously), tied up (or simply pushed) a guard, a teller
or a customer, at night (or at noon), for a bad (or arguably less bad) motive, in an effort to obtain money for other crimes (or for other
purposes), in the company of a few (or many) other robbers, for the first (or fourth) time that day, while sober (or under the influence of
drugs or alcohol), and so forth.
The list of potentially relevant features of criminal behavior is long; the fact that they can occur in multiple combinations means
that the list of possible permutations of factors is virtually endless. The appropriate relationships among these different factors are
exceedingly difficult to establish, for they are often context specific. Sentencing courts do not treat the occurrence of a simple bruise
identically in all cases, irrespective of whether that bruise occurred in the context of a bank robbery or in the context of a breach of peace.
This is so, in part, because the risk that such a harm will occur differs depending on the underlying offense with which it is connected (and
therefore may already be counted, to a different degree, in the punishment for the underlying offense); and also because, in part, the
relationship between punishment and multiple harms is not simply additive. The relation varies, depending on how much other harm has
occurred. (Thus, one cannot easily assign points for each kind of harm and simply add them up, irrespective of context and total amounts.)
The larger the number of subcategories, the greater the complexity that is created and the less workable the system. Moreover, the
subcategories themselves, sometimes too broad and sometimes too narrow, will apply and interact in unforeseen ways to unforeseen
situations, thus failing to cure the unfairness of a simple, broad category system. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, probation officers
and courts, in applying a complex system of subcategories, would have to make a host of decisions about whether the underlying facts are
sufficient to bring the case within a particular subcategory. The greater the number of decisions required and the greater their complexity,
the greater the risk that different judges will apply the guidelines differently to situations that, in fact, are similar, thereby reintroducing
the very disparity that the guidelines were designed to eliminate.
In view of the arguments, it is tempting to retreat to the simple, broad-category approach and to grant judges the discretion to select
the proper point along a broad sentencing range. Obviously, however, granting such broad discretion risks correspondingly broad disparity
in sentencing, for different courts may exercise their discretionary powers in different ways. That is to say, such an approach risks a return
to the wide disparity that Congress established the Commission to limit.
In the end, there is no completely satisfying solution to this practical stalemate. The Commission has had to simply balance the
comparative virtues and vices of broad, simple categorization and detailed, complex subcategorization, and within the constraints
established by that balance, minimize the discretionary powers of the sentencing court. Any ultimate system will, to a degree, enjoy the
benefits and suffer from the drawbacks of each approach.
A philosophical problem arose when the Commission attempted to reconcile the differing perceptions of the purposes of criminal
punishment. Most observers of the criminal law agree that the ultimate aim of the law itself, and of punishment in particular, is the control
of crime. Beyond this point, however, the consensus seems to break down. Some argue that appropriate punishment should be defined
primarily on the basis of the moral principle of ‘just deserts.’ Under this principle, punishment should be scaled to the offender’s culpability
and the resulting harms. Thus, if a defendant is less culpable, the defendant deserves less punishment. Others argue that punishment should
be imposed primarily on the basis of practical ‘crime control’ considerations. Defendants sentenced under this scheme should receive the
punishment that most effectively lessens the likelihood of future crime, either by deterring others or incapacitating the defendant.
Adherents of these points of view have urged the Commission to choose be
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