The Clemency Project Clinic Submits Proposal for Research to U.S. Sentencing Commission Based on its Overseas Visits

In response to the U.S. Sentencing Commission's request for proposals for research in its 2024-25 cycle, the Clemency Project Clinic, directed by Professor JaneAnne Murray, submitted a letter suggesting that the Commission study European criminal and penal justice systems.  Inspired by the Clinic's visits to Norway and The Netherlands, respectively, over the spring breaks of 2023 and 2024, Prof. Murray and her students (Sam Buisman '25, Amy Cohen '24, Myah Grimm,'25, Bethany Jewison '24, and Anna Mitchell '24) suggested that, "[w]hile there are obvious differences between the United States and these European countries – not least, the amount of money spent on their prison systems, their robust social welfare systems, their relatively homogenous cultures, their low crime rates and low violent crime rates, and their strong gun regulations – there are nonetheless aspects of the criminal and penal systems we visited that we believe provide useful insights and guidance for the American system of criminal justice in general, and the Commission’s work in particular to fulfill the goals of sentencing."  Their letter then proceeded to highlight five aspects of their field visits that they believed were applicable in the United States: significantly shorter sentences leading to reduced recidivism; the "normality principle" whereby prisons are designed to replicate, as much as possible, life on the outside; a focus on restorative justice; more nuanced treatment of female offenders; and sparing use of solitary confinement.  

The Clinic's trips overseas are memorialized in these public presentations: Norway and The Netherlands.