News and Information
E-News
Guidelines E-News is a periodic newsletter delivered via email by the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy. Guidelines E-News provides information on the system of voluntary guidelines for the State’s circuit courts and highlights changes to the guidelines. It also provides useful information on worksheet completion and submission.
E-News 2023, Volume 18
News Releases – 2023
- March 13, 2023: The MSCCSP released Issue 9 of the Sentencing Snapshot. Issue 9 examines sentencing trends in Maryland circuit courts for manslaughter.
- February 1, 2023: Revisions to the definition of a single criminal event were adopted effective February 1, 2023. The February 2023 Guidelines E-News provides details on these revisions. The E-News also discusses the impact of recent cannabis penalty changes on the sentencing guidelines, provides links to the MSCCSP’s new crimes of violence data dashboard and 2022 annual report, and notes upcoming opportunities for sentencing guidelines training.
- January 30, 2023: The MSCCSP released its 2022 annual report, which covers the Commission’s activities over the past year and reviews circuit court sentencing practices for fiscal year 2021. Pursuant to Ch. 141 (S.B. 763), Acts of 2022, the MSCCSP also presents, in the annual report, information on sentences for crimes of violence and a corresponding data dashboard.
- January 13, 2023: Proposed amendments to the sentencing guidelines were published in the January 13, 2023, issue of the Maryland Register (Volume 50, Issue 1). The proposed amendments include: 1) clarifying the definition of “explosive” as it pertains to the assignment of weapon presence points in part C of the offense score; and 2) revisions that account for recent cannabis legislation (Chapter 26 (H.B. 837), Acts of 2022) that substitutes the term marijuana with cannabis, legalizes the use or possession of a personal amount of cannabis, and reduces the maximum penalty from 5 years to 3 years for unlawfully possess with intent to distribute, manufacture, possess production equipment—cannabis. Public comments on the proposed amendments will be accepted through February 13, 2023.
- January 4, 2023: The MSCCSP is pleased to welcome Kathy Sanchez who is joining the MSCCSP staff as a Research Analyst/Faculty Specialist.
