From the column: "Minnesota (has) a complex system of sentencing guidelines, established by an independent commission."
Written By:
Dale Harris |
×
Bob Englehart/Cagle Cartoons
Whenever there is a high-profile criminal case in the news — like the upcoming sentencing of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of murdering George Floyd last summer — the comments always seem to be the same: The sentence was too light.
Many people seem to be under the mistaken belief that judges can sentence someone to any number they choose.
In Minnesota, though, we have a complex system of sentencing guidelines, established by an independent commission. The sentencing grid has the severity level of the offense on one axis and the defendant’s criminal history score on the other. There are detailed rules for calculating both of those numbers, and the end result is a “box” on the grid with a presumptive sentencing range. (You can look at these grids online at mn.gov/sentencing-guidelines/guidelines.)