RD415 - Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission 2008 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
The Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission is required by § 17.1-803 of the Code of Virginia to report annually to the General Assembly, the Governor and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. To fulfill its statutory obligation, the Commission respectfully submits this report, the fourteenth in the series.

The report is organized into five chapters. The remainder of the Introduction chapter provides a general profile of the Commission and an overview of its various activities and projects during 2008. The Guidelines Compliance chapter presents a comprehensive analysis of compliance with the sentencing guidelines during fiscal year (FY) 2008. The Commission's newest project, a significant and groundbreaking new study examining crimes committed in the presence of Virginia's children, is described in the third chapter of the report. The Commission's most recent look at the effects of the sweeping reforms that took effect in 1995 is documented in the chapter on the Impact of Truth in Sentencing. In the report's final chapter, the Commission presents its recommendations for revisions to the felony sentencing guidelines system.