Friday, September 12, 2008

Spectacular Sentencing Supplement!

Professor Berman has posted a link to download the new Supplement to the Sentencing Law and Policy Casebook. The 2008 Supplement includes edited versions of the big sentencing cases from the US Supreme Court, Kimbrough and Gall, as well as lots of notes covering various major sentencing developments from the past year. The Supplement can be downloaded for free and the book can be purchased from Aspen Publishers


The Sentencing Law and Policy Casebook is a must read for the criminal defense practitioner. It covers topics from three distinct sentencing worlds: guideline-determinate, indeterminate, and capital.

Completely updated, the Second Edition features:

* complete coverage of Blakely v. Washington and United States v. Booker
* new materials on sentencing procedures including Sixth Amendment jury rights
* stronger integration of substantive criminal law and the law of sentencing
* materials on the role of sentencing as part of a larger social response to crime

Part of good investigation is knowing how to best fit our clients stories into the world of sentencing law. Understanding the law of sentencing is an important first step in a successful sentencing investigation...sometimes the most important investigation one will do on a case involves records searches that the attorney can fit into the new body of caselaw on sentencing. Additionally, with the United States Sentencing Guidelines now being advisory, the door is wide open as to what the court can consider in sentencing and should drive us all in creative new directions in our investigations. This book is a good start that gives the reader a reference book that actually makes it off the shelf!

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