I can find the right range in the guidelines now without breaking a sweat. But last week a young man stood in front of me and the numbers stopped meaning anything. Where the rules end and my own judgment begins is exactly where I lie awake. I keep replaying the faces of the ones I've sentenced.
More people experience this than they realize.
You know the rules for sentencing, but deciding a person's future still haunts you.
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.