What is the Sentencing Guidelines Commission?
The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission is an on-going policy making body created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1978. The guidelines are effective for crimes committed on or after May 1, 1980. The Commission developed and now maintains a model for rational and consistent sentencing standards for felony offenders. The Commission also collects and analyzes information on actual sentencing practices as compared to the sentences recommended by the guidelines. The Commission, which typically meets monthly, consists of 11 members representing the criminal justice system, the public, and victims. The Commission modifies the guidelines each year, in response to legislative changes, case law, problems identified by the monitoring system, and issues raised by various groups.
