Yesterday, the United States Sentencing Commission issued a press release that announced the formation of a Sentence Impact Advisory Group (SIAG) and Research and Data Practices Advisory Group (RDPAG) with the objectives of strengthening, modernizing, and expanding the scope of expert voices called upon in the Commission’s work.
The Commission currently has four standing advisory groups, and described the purpose of the two new advisory groups as follows on its webpage:
The purpose of the RDPAG is— (1) to assist the Commission in carrying out its statutory responsibilities under 28 U.S.C. §§ 991(b) and 995(a)(12)–(16); (2) to study the best practices of other government agencies and nongovernmental organizations (including those that perform tasks or provide services not related to criminal justice) relating to the collection, maintenance, use, analysis, and dissemin ation of data relevant to the mission of such agencies and organizations, and the development and execution of research agendas; (3) to report and make recommendations on how the Commission may incorporate any best practice to more effectively carry out its statutory duties and responsibilities under 28 U.S.C. §§ 991(b) and 995(a)(12)–(16), and fulfill its unique role as a clearinghouse for federal sentencing statistics and practices; and (4) to perform any other related functions as the Commission requests.
The purpose of the SIAG is— (1) to assist the Commission in carrying out its statutory responsibilities under 28 U.S.C. § 994(o); (2) to provide to the Commission its views on the Commission’s activities and work, including proposed priorities and amendments, as they relate to sentenced individuals; (3) to disseminate information regarding federal sentencing issues to other sentenced individuals, families of sentenced individuals, and advocacy groups, as appropriate; (4) to provide to the Commission its views on how the Commission may better incorporate into its work the perspectives of individuals affected by federal sentences; (5) to assist the Commission in determining how it can best fulfill its duty under 28 U.S.C. § 994(s) to “give due consideration to any petition filed by a defendant requesting modification of the guidelines utilized in the sentencing of such defendant, on the basis of changed circumstances unrelated to the defendant”; and (6) to perform any other related functions as the Commission requests.
SIAG’s Charter states:
For appointment of the initial members of the SIAG and thereafter as vacancies arise, the Commission intends to openly solicit applications for membership from sentenced individuals and their families. The Commission intends that SIAG membership shall be appointed in a manner that ensures diverse representation in background, demographics, sentences imposed, geographic location, and other unique characteristics. The Commission also intends that the SIAG membership should aim to reflect the many perspectives within the federally sentenced population, including perspectives informed by differences in terms of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, and tribal membership.
Both groups will serve in an advisory capacity and will not have voting or policymaking authority. The deadline to apply is June 6, 2025.