“The whole point is uniformity” (MSGC meeting part 3)

On July 21, American Experiment’s public safety expert David Zimmer joined the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission (MSGC) for a special meeting to discuss their move to eliminate the Custody Status Point (CSP).

The CSP is used by judges to calculate criminal sentences in a more uniform and proportionate manner across the state. Joined by key stakeholders and law enforcement experts, Zimmer voiced his strong opposition to the proposal.

The theory of the CSP is if someone commits a crime who is already on probation, parole, or in custody, that person should be held to a higher level of accountability than someone who isn’t under supervision. It’s been a long-held belief in Minnesota corrections, and it was acknowledged in the roundtable that most states also use some form of CSP when applying a new sentence to someone already under supervision.

“The whole point of having the sentencing guidelines is uniformity,” Zimmer said.

You can see more of Zimmer’s comments at the roundtable below.