LAW 7230 :
Advanced Topics in Federal Sen

Course Description This class is geared toward students who are considering careers as federal prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys practicing in the federal courts or those who wish to learn more about the procedure, substance and jurisprudence of federal sentencing. Topics will include the history of the United States Sentencing Commission and the Sentencing Guidelines, offense levels for specific crimes, arguments for and against mandatory minimum sentences, sentencing reform and other legislative measures and the roles and perspectives of the prosecution, defense and the United States Probation Office. We will examine how judges prepare for the sentence hearing and ultimately decide on and impose the sentence. Students will attend a sentencing and guilty plea proceeding and discuss each in detail. We will also discuss the role of the Bureau of Prisons and the collateral consequences of sentencing as well as alternatives to incarceration.