How Is A Training Session Arranged?

Arranging a training session with the Sentencing Commission’s training staff is easy. Simply email us (button below), or call (202) 502-4540 and tell us what you’re looking for. We will work with you to plan the agenda, whether you’d like a full-day session or just a couple of hours, and to schedule the training. We ask for a minimum of six weeks’ lead time, and we encourage you to schedule the training for the middle of the week to minimize the need for our staff to travel on Saturday or Sunday.

Once your training session is scheduled, the assigned trainer will contact you to finalize the program. As part of the process, we will send a pre-training survey to your attendees to be sure we address their questions. You will have multiple opportunities to evaluate the program, including immediately afterwards and two weeks after the session through an online survey. In addition, we would be happy to conduct a post-training remote meeting with your attendees to answer any remaining questions or concerns.

You can also download the printable flyer for instructions on setting up a training program. 

Whom Do We Train?

We conduct training sessions for judges, their law clerks, courtroom deputies and district court clerks as well as probation officers, defense attorneys, and prosecutors. We will train the whole “court family” or conduct separate training sessions for each group according to your preference. We train guideline users with all levels of experience – from brand-new practitioners to people with decades of federal sentencing experience.

Would you prefer an online training session? We also conduct remote sessions via Skype, but are flexible if your agency uses another online tool.

What Kind Of Training Do We Offer?

We will work closely with you to develop an agenda customized to address your training needs. We rely on adult learning theories and interactive techniques that include real-life scenarios to ensure that our audiences come away from our training sessions with practical, ready-to-use information on federal sentencing.

We take the most complex topics, such as grouping of multiple counts, crimes of violence, and concurrent/consecutive sentences, and make them easy to understand and apply in your everyday work. Our most frequently requested training topics include:

• The Categorical Approach (determining crimes of violence)
• Criminal History
• Recent Case Law
• Relevant Conduct (sentencing liability)

Is Continuing Legal Education Available?

Yes! CLE credit is available for our programs.