Sentencing.net - News & Legal Updates By Attorney Brandon Sample

Sentencing Worksheet | How Federal Courts Determine Sentences

Brandon Sample Sentencing June 17, 2018

Did you ever wonder how a judge arrives at the criminal sentence he or she imposes in federal court? Is it gut instinct? Are there law books to consult? In fact, federal judges typically go through a rigorous analysis of the case before arriving ...Read More

Ohio’s Sentencing Practices Under U.S. Supreme Court Scrutiny

Brandon Sample Sentencing June 16, 2018

Is it possible for a trial judge to be the final and only say in a person’s life-without-parole sentence? It is possible that a person has no right to appeal such a sentence? Apparently, under the sentencing practices in Ohio, the answer is “yes.” ...Read More

The First Step Act: All Your Questions Explained

Brandon Sample Legislation May 11, 2018

On May 9, 2018, the House Judiciary Committee passed a bipartisan federal prison reform bill known as the First Step Act (H.R. 5682). The bill’s longer name is the “Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act.” The First Step Act was ...Read More

What Is Sentencing Bargaining, and Why Do We Do It?

Brandon Sample Sentencing May 7, 2018

It takes place in private. Sometimes it occurs within a matter of minutes. And it has a massive impact on a person’s life. It is the practice of plea bargaining, which sometimes takes the form of sentencing bargaining. You cannot read a book or ...Read More

Federal Sentencing Guidelines | What You Need To Know

Brandon Sample Sentencing March 15, 2018

Over the last few decades, the United States has been overrun with politicians telling us to elect them because they believe in locking up criminals – particularly drug criminals – and simply throwing away the key. Being “tough on crime” vis-a-vis federal sentencing guidelines ...Read More

Sentencing Bias in the U.S. | Why Justice Isn’t Blind

Brandon Sample Sentencing March 14, 2018

President Obama, in a speech at Howard University in 2016, provided some thoughtful insight on the existence of implicit bias in our criminal justice system, stating, “And we knew . . . that even the good cops with the best of intentions – including, ...Read More