Why is this Important?
The State Sentencing Commission staff is responsible for compiling information recorded on the sentencing guidelines worksheets. This information is placed into a database that will allow us to provide reports on sentencing practices and to assess the impact of proposed legislative or policy initiatives. Accordingly, it is critical that the worksheets are complete and contain accurate information.
We expect to process well over 12,000 worksheets from across Maryland in the coming year. Roughly half of the worksheets initially received are incomplete. As a result, we spend a considerable amount of time tracking down the missing information. Moreover, if necessary data cannot be found, our database remains incomplete.
To help clear up some of the confusion on worksheet completion, we have compiled this list of common oversights.
Please take a moment to review this information.
Omission of Information
The most common mistake found on worksheets is the omission of required information. Everyone responsible for completing any part of the worksheet should make certain those sections are complete.
For 'yes/no' questions, please clearly indicate either YES or NO.
Please DO NOT leave it blank. In addition, the person responsible for mailing the worksheets should double-check for incomplete worksheets before submitting them.
Some Common Omissions:
Indigence Established - Did the defendant
establish indigence to waive court costs?PSI - Did a pre-sentence investigator conduct an investigation of the offender?
Disposition Type - Did the conviction ultimately result from a trial or plea?
Victim Information - Was a victim involved in
this offense? If YES, please complete the 10
Yes/No questions on the bottom left of the worksheet.
Sentence Information - This is often missing when worksheets are partially completed by a pre-sentence investigator and then forwarded on to the sentencing judge's office for the actual sentence information. There are also more specific omissions noted in the section labeled Actual Sentence.
Legibility
Please make every effort to insure that all information on the worksheet is readable. This includes the name of the person completing the worksheet, which is useful when questions develop and for the dissemination of worksheet materials.
Convicted Offenses
Only convicted offenses should be included on the worksheet.
Merged offenses are not to be used in the calculations of guidelines and, hence, should not be listed anywhere on the guidelines worksheet.
Additionally, when recording the Convicted Offense Title, it is often important to note descriptive details about the offense. Some examples include:
- Child Abuse offense titles need to specify the nature of the abuse (i.e. physical or sexual).
- Theft, Destruction of Property, Extortion, Medicaid Fraud, and Bad Check offenses should specify less than $500 or more than $500.
- Possession, Distribution, and Common Nuisance offenses should specify the type of drug involved in the offense (e.g. Heroin, Cocaine, etc.).
- Many other offenses require descriptive details. Please refer to Appendix A in the Guidelines Manual for more information.
Offense Score
Offense scores must be calculated for each convicted offense against a person.
Handgun and weapons offenses are offenses against a person and as a result, offense scores should be calculated for them. Additionally, the section of the offense score labeled Weapon Usage should accurately reflect that a weapon was used.
Robbery with a Deadly Weapon includes the use of a weapon as an element of the offense. Therefore, the applicable weapon usage points should be added to an offense score for this offense.
Actual Sentence
First and foremost, please make certain the Actual Sentence box is completed for each convicted offense on the worksheet. When relevant to the particular sentence, the following information should be included:
- Amount of credit for time served;
- For multiple counts, indicate which sentences are consecutive and which are concurrent;
- Total sentence, including how much is suspended and the length of probation;
- Amount of community service;
- Any fines or restitution orders; and
- Time concurrent with any prior convictions.
In addition to including the correct information, the notation used should be consistent and specific. For example, a sentence of 5 years with all but 18 months suspended and 2 years of probation could be denoted as 5-yrs/SAB 18-mos/2 yrs prob.
Submission of Completed Worsheets
Once worksheets are complete, the blue copy should be sent to the State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy at the following address:
Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy
4511 Knox Road, Suite 309
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-8660
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