Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the Feeney Amendment
Before the Federal Sentencing Guidelines were instituted, federal judges were given wide discretion in sentencing convicted criminals. Consequently, there was substantial disparity among federal courts regarding the sentences given to similarly situated offenders. To remedy this problem, Congress enacted the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, which created the United States Sentencing Commission. This paper examines the federal sentencing guidelines, including the impact of new laws such as the Feeney Amendment.
