
The goals of the Robina Institute’s Criminal History Enhancements Project are to study the widely varying criminal history enhancement formulas found in U.S. sentencing guidelines systems, and encourage each system to examine its use of criminal history to determine whether it is operating in a just and cost-effective manner.
An offender’s criminal history (record of prior convictions) is a major sentencing factor in all American jurisdictions that have implemented sentencing guidelines — offenders in the highest criminal history category often have recommended prison sentences that are many times longer than the recommended sentences for offenders in the lowest category. Criminal history sentence enhancements thus substantially increase the size and expense of prison populations. And since offenders with higher criminal history scores tend to be older, the result is often to fill expensive prison beds with offenders who are past their peak offending years. Such enhancements also have a strong disparate impact on racial and ethnic minorities, undercut the goal of making sentence severity proportional to offense severity, and send many nonviolent offenders to prison.
Recent Highlights
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Publication
Minnesota Criminal History Score Recidivism Report
December 19, 2018
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Annual Conference
Reversing Mass Punishment in America
December 8, 2017
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News & Views from Robina
The Importance of Coming Together: Sharing and Discussing Research at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology
November 8, 2017
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News & Views from Robina
Prior Record Enhancements: High Costs, Uncertain Benefits
October 16, 2017
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News & Views from Robina
Should Juvenile Prior Crimes Count Against Adult Offenders? What Does the Public Think?
April 14, 2017
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News & Views from Robina
Public Attitudes Regarding Look-Back Limits: Findings from New Robina Institute Research
April 4, 2017
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News & Views from Robina
Criminal History Sentencing Enhancements Imprison Too Many Aging, Low-Risk Offenders
December 8, 2016
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News & Views from Robina
Sentencing as a Human Process
November 4, 2016
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Annual Conference
Paying for the Past: The Consequences of Criminal Convictions
October 7, 2016
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Policy Brief
Comparing Criminal History Enhancements in Three Jurisdictions
August 23, 2016
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News & Views from Robina
Attitudes to Prior Record Sentencing Enhancements: What do the Public Think?
June 1, 2016
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Publication
Criminal History Enhancements Sourcebook
May 1, 2016