Tonry's Blueprint for the Comparative Study of Sentencing Law and Policy

Minnesota Legal Studies Research Paper No. 25-29

Criminal Law Forum (2025) doi:10.1007/s10609-025-09502-9

18 Pages Posted: 30 Apr 2025

See all articles by Kevin R Reitz

Kevin R Reitz

University of Minnesota Law School; Robina Institute of Criminal Law & Criminal Justice

Date Written: April 26, 2025

Abstract

This essay explores Michael Tonry's treatment of sentencing law and policy within the U.S. as an inherently comparative project. The essay draws from Tonry's ''early period'' in comparative sentencing from the late 1970s to the middle 1990s, when his writing was largely U.S.-centric, focued on quickly changing conditions in dozens of states and the federal system. Tonry classified the several models of ''sentencing reform'' that were being tried across the country, drew contrasts in the legal architectures of the new systems, collected data and evaluation research for as many states as possible, and treated the reform-active states as ''laboratories'' whose experiments could be evaluated for the benefit of other jurisdictions. The essay examines the importance of this body of work and illustrates the impact it has had on research and policy communities over several decades. In addition, the essay suggests that ''Tonry's blueprint'' holds great value for future researchers in comparative criminal justice policy.

Suggested Citation

Reitz, Kevin R, Tonry's Blueprint for the Comparative Study of Sentencing Law and Policy (April 26, 2025). Minnesota Legal Studies Research Paper No. 25-29, Criminal Law Forum (2025) doi:10.1007/s10609-025-09502-9, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5237015 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5237015

Kevin R Reitz (Contact Author)

University of Minnesota Law School ( email )

229 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
United States
612-626-3078 (Phone)

Robina Institute of Criminal Law & Criminal Justice ( email )

University of Minnesota Law School
229 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
United States

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