Sentencing Project - History

History

The Sentencing Project grew out of pilot programs established by Malcolm C. Young in the early 1980s. In 1981, Young became director of a project of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) designed to establish defense-based sentencing advocacy programs. These programs worked with defense attorneys to provide judges with sentencing proposals that contained an assessment of the defendant’s social history and an individualized sentencing plan that was responsive to the needs of both victims and offenders. The NLADA project successfully developed sentencing advocacy programs in six cities over the next several years. In 1984, the project came under the sponsorship of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, which continued until 1986.

In 1986, Malcolm C. Young incorporated The Sentencing Project as an independent organization to continue the program training and development work. Through the mid-1990s The Sentencing Project provided training and technical assistance in sentencing advocacy to programs in more than 20 states. Beginning in the late 1980s, The Sentencing Project became engaged in research and public education on a broad range of criminal justice policy issues. The organization is now considered a premier source of information and analysis, and serves as a resource for policymakers, academics, advocacy organizations, and media. The advocacy campaigns of The Sentencing Project have successfully contributed to significant sentencing and drug policy reforms at both the federal and state level. In 2005, long-time assistant director Marc Mauer became the executive director of The Sentencing Project.