The Alabama Sentencing Commission was established to maintain an effective, fair, and efficient sentencing system for the state of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. The 17-member commission is also charged with enhancing public safety, providing

truth-in-sentencing Truth in sentencing (TIS) is a collection of different but related public policy stances on sentencing of those convicted of crimes in the justice system. In most contexts, it refers to policies and legislation that aim to abolish or curb parole so ...

and preventing unwarranted disparity in the sentencing of individuals convicted in the state's

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

system. Main offices for the commission are located in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

History

The commission was established by statute in 2000 after a two-year study of sentencing policy in Alabama concluded that significant problems existed within the state's then-existing sentencing and corrections structure. Prior to 2012 sentencing guidelines developed by the commission were voluntary. In 2012 Senator

Cam Ward Cameron Kenneth Ward (born February 29, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played the majority of his fifteen-year professional career for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for ...

presented Senate Bill 386, which Governor Robert Bentley later signed into law. The law invested the commission with more power by making standards they developed for sentencing non-violent offenders presumptive. While these sentencing reforms initially contributed to a drop in the statewide prison population, Alabama now has one of the highest incarceration rates in the United States. In 2020 the Department of Justice sued the

Alabama Department of Corrections The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is the agency responsible for incarceration of convicted felons in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is headquartered in the Alabama Criminal Justice Center in Montgomery. Alabama has rela ...

for multiple issues including overcrowding.

References

Government agencies established in 2000 Sentencing commissions in the United States State agencies of Alabama 2000 establishments in Alabama {{US-law-stub