	Introduction

The federal Sentencing Guidelines greatly influence the sentences imposed for federal crimes. The process involves assigning "offense levels" for a particular offense based on the nature of the offense and the circumstances under which it was committed. Having identified the applicable Guideline range, the court, in the exercise of its sentencing discretion, considers it along with the other sentencing factors found in 18 U.S.C. In most instances, the Guideline Index notes the Guideline offense section that corresponds to the offense of conviction. Adjustments : The Guidelines make adjustments for victim-related factors, the extent of the offender's participation (role in the offense), obstruction, conviction for multiple offenses, and the offender's acceptance of responsibility. The Guidelines devote five sections to matters related to the offender's role in the crime of conviction: (1) aggravating roles, (2) mitigating roles, (3) abuse of a position of trust or use of special skill, (4) use of a minor, and (5) use of body armor in a drug trafficking offense or a crime of violence. The Guidelines do so in the case of career offenders, professional offenders, armed career offenders, and child molesting recidivists. 3553(a). Imprisonment : Unless the sentence of conviction carries a statutory mandatory minimum, the Guidelines sentence is one that is within the sentencing range for the final offense level and criminal history category for the defendant's crime of conviction. The Guidelines establish an escalating series of fine ranges based on the offense level for crimes subject to the $250,000 cap. Several federal statutes supply the necessary authorization under most circumstances. Chapter 8 of the Guidelines establishes a separate, related but distinct, sentencing regime for organizations.
Sentencing for all serious federal noncapital crimes begins with the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Congress establishes the maximum penalty and sometimes the minimum penalty for every federal crime by statute. In between, the Guidelines establish a series of escalating sentencing ranges based on the circumstances of the offense and the criminal record of the offender. The Guidelines do so using a score-keeping procedure. The Guidelines process involves:
I. Identification of the most appropriate Guidelines section for the crime(s) of conviction, based on the nature of the offense (the most commonly applicable are noted in the Guidelines Index)
II. Identification of the applicable base offense level indicated by the section
III. Addition/subtraction of offense levels per section instructions for the circumstances in the case at hand
IV. Addition/subtraction of offense levels per instructions in those chapters of the Guidelines relating to
A. Victim related matters
B. Role in the offense
C. Obstruction
D. Multiple counts
E. Acceptance of responsibility
V. Calculation of the criminal history score
VI. Consideration of departures (more/less severe treatment) which the Guidelines permit
VII. Application Guidelines instructions relating to
A. Imprisonment (Sentencing Table)
B. Probation
C. Supervised release
D. Special assessments
E. Fines
F. Restitution
G. Forfeiture
VIII. Sentencing of Organizations
IX. Deviation based on the sentencing principles in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a).
This is an abridged version of a longer report entitled to CRS Report R41696, How the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Work: A Brief Overview, without the footnotes, attribution, citations, or full content found in the longer report.