The Maryland General Assembly created the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy (MSCCSP) in 1999 as an independent agency to support fair and proportional sentencing policy and to maintain the State’s voluntary sentencing guidelines for criminal cases sentenced in the circuit courts. The MSCCSP is responsible for collecting and automating the sentencing guidelines worksheets, maintaining the sentencing guidelines database, monitoring circuit court sentencing practice, adopting changes to the guidelines consistent with the sentencing practices of Maryland circuit court judges, and providing training and orientation to criminal justice practitioners who apply the sentencing guidelines.
News
September 4, 2026: Proposed amendments to the sentencing guidelines were published in the September 4, 2026, issue of the Maryland Register (Volume 53, Issue 18). The purpose of the proposed amendments is to modify Regulation.02 under COMAR 14.22.02 Criminal Offenses and Seriousness Categories to reflect (1) new and revised penalties from the 2026 Legislative Session and (2) the addition of five previously unclassified offenses. Comments on the proposed amendments will be accepted through October 5, 2026.
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