Legal Definitions - Federal Sentencing Guidelines

The Federal Sentencing Guidelines are a set of rules created by the United States federal court system in 1987. They are used to determine the appropriate sentence for criminal defendants who are convicted in the federal court system. The guidelines take into account the seriousness of the offense and the offender's criminal history.

For example, if someone is convicted of fraud, the guidelines will consider the amount of money involved in the fraud and the offender's criminal history. These factors will be used to determine the appropriate sentence for the offender.

It's important to note that the guidelines are not mandatory. The judge can choose to depart from the guidelines if they feel it's necessary. However, if the judge does depart from the guidelines, they must explain why they did so.

The guidelines are meant to provide a uniform sentencing policy for criminal defendants in the federal court system. They help ensure that similar crimes are punished in a similar way, regardless of where the crime was committed or who the offender is.