Introduction to USSC Amendment 821 Part A & B: Zero Point Offender / Status Points Reductions

Amendment 821

Policy Priorities: The Commission discussed and voted on the final policy priorities for the period of 2023-2024. These priorities would guide the Commission’s work in establishing sentencing policies and practices for federal courts. Retroactivity of Parts A and B of the 2023 Criminal History Amendment: A significant decision involved voting on the retroactivity of Parts

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SENTENCING COMMISSION VOTES TO MAKE IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS RETROACTIVE TO REDUCE THE SENTENCES OF THOUSANDS

Zero point offender

On August 24, 2023, a divided Commission voted 4-3 to make two new amendments to the Guidelines retroactive.  Assuming no Congressional action to the contrary, these amendments go into effect on November 1, 2023.  The first amendment limits the overall criminal history impact of “status points” (i.e., the additional criminal history points given to defendants for

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