Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. Sentencing Guideline Software Web Version Training Manual

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Sentencing Guideline Software Web Version

Training Manual

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The Status field in the center of the AOPC Search Results screen will display several processes when the Refresh button is selected (Pending Request, Requested, Processing, and Responded). Once the status displays Responded, click on the Offender icon ( ), to begin creating the judicial proceeding.

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Modify or add data as needed to the Offender information, including employment information. Select the Judge from the drop down list.

The Docket Number populates but allows editing. Enter the County Contact.

Proceed to Prior Record or the Offense module by selecting a radio button. Then select Save.

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Option 2) Create a judicial proceeding by Judicial Proceeding Search. Click on the Judicial

Proceedings button on the left-hand navigation bar located on the Digital Dashboard screen.

Search by one of the following: Offender Name, Docket #, Police Photo ID, Commission ID, or Judge.

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When the search returns a result, the judicial proceeding can be completed by selecting the incomplete modules. Click the icon ( ), for the module needing completed.

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If the search does not return a result, click on Add. Two buttons display, Add New Offender and

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The Add New Offender button allows manual typing of the offender information.

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The Show Offenders to Add to JP button allows selecting from a list of offenders not attached to any Judicial Proceeding by clicking on the last name.

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Enter the required fields. To navigate to either the Prior Record or Offense module select a radio button then click Save.

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SGS Web - How to Create a Prior Record Score Worksheet

Once the offender has been attached to a judicial proceeding the prior record score information can be added. The Commission collects data by judicial proceeding. The definition is; a proceeding in which all offenses for which an offender has been convicted are pending

before the court for sentencing at the same time. A judicial proceeding may contain different

docket numbers and/or different OTN numbers. Do not create a separate judicial proceeding for the same offender when there are multiple docket or OTN numbers and sentencing occurs before one judge on the same day. All offenses should be included in one judicial proceeding.

The Prior Record Score Worksheet is accessible from the Digital Dashboard. Click the box under the PRS column to open the prior record score worksheet.

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When a prior worksheet exists for an offender with the same social security number or SID number SGS Web displays the link with the offender’s last name. Click on the last name to view the details. If the worksheet is acceptable for use, click the Copy button. The copied worksheet allows editing.

The 6th Edition prior record score worksheet is the default worksheet. The 6th Edition worksheet can also be used for the 6th Edition Revised guidelines. To enter a 5th Edition prior record worksheet click on the Switch to PRS Worksheet 5th Edition. When the judicial proceeding

consists both a 6th /6th Revised and a 5th Edition offense date, complete a prior record worksheet for each.

Locate the appropriate offense category and enter the number of juvenile adjudications or adult convictions for that offense category.

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After entry of the number in the field, press the tab key or click the mouse in another field to allow the automatic calculation of the prior record score.

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The bottom of the screen displays the calculation results. Determine whether the offender was crime free from the ages of 18 to 28 and check the Yes or No box for offenses committed under the 6th Edition Revised guidelines. The definition of crime-free includes any summary offense and/or one misdemeanor offense with a statutory maximum of one year or less.

There are two columns, Juvenile Adjudications Lapse and Juvenile Adjudications Do Not Lapse. Juvenile adjudications do not lapse unless Yes is checked. These columns pertain to the juvenile lapsing provision in the sentencing guidelines. Any 4 point offenses will never lapse. SGS Web will determine the lapsing of juvenile adjudications upon entry of the offense date.

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After entry of all prior record score information, click the Save button at the top or bottom of the screen.

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To make changes to the prior record score worksheet, click the Update button. After the changes are made click the Save button.

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SGS Web - How to Create Offenses

Once the offender has been attached to a judicial proceeding, offenses can be added. The Commission collects data by judicial proceeding. The definition is; a proceeding in which all

offenses for which an offender has been convicted are pending before the court for sentencing at the same time. A judicial proceeding may contain different docket numbers and/or different

Offenses may be added two ways: 1) Manually 2) Select from the AOPC list. Option 1) Manually – Click the New Offense button.

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Enter the date of offense (mm/dd/yy) slashes are optional. Completed is the default setting for the offense, click Inchoate when applicable. Search for the offense by Offense Type in one of the three offense lists; Controlled Substance - drug offenses from 35§780-113, DUI Offenses only and Non-Controlled Substance - includes anything not found in the other two lists such as Crimes Code Title 18 offenses.

There are three ways to search for the offense, by Statute, by Description or search the entire list. When the offense was an Inchoate, enter the object offense for the search. The offenses of 18§901, 902 and 903 will not be found in the offense list.

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To select the offense, click on the underlined description of the offense.

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Enter the Count Number, the OTN (required field), the victim’s age, and type of supervision the offender was on when they committed the current offense. Enter a mandatory if applied, and the deadly weapon enhancement if applicable.

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To view the guideline recommendations, check the box beside Proceed to Guideline

Recommendations.

Click Save.

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The guideline ranges display as well as the statutory minimum and maximum for the offense. In addition, the Fines and Community Service Guideline Recommendations display when the OGS and PRS range recommendation is non-confinement.

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Option 2) Select from the AOPC Offense List – Click on the page icon  to add the offense to the judicial proceeding.

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The date of offense and the title and section fields are populated. Select the Type of Supervision the offender was on when they committed the current offense. Click the Find button.

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Select the offense by clicking on the underlined description of the offense.

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The docket number, count number, and OTN populate, but allow editing.

Enter the victim’s age, a mandatory if applied and the deadly weapon enhancement if applicable.

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To continue selecting offenses from the AOPC offense list, click the box beside Select Another

AOPC Offense. Click Save.

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Updating Offenses

To Update certain information related to an offense, click on the OTN link for that offense from the Select an Offense screen.

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Click on the Update button.

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The following fields allow updating: Docket #, Count Number, OTN, Date, Victim Age, Mandatory Minimum, and Deadly Weapon Enhancement.

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Copying Offenses

To Copy the same offense that has the same grade and OGS, click the OTN link from the Select

an Offense screen.

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All fields may be changed or remain the same as the copied offense. After entering the information, click Save.

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Replacing an Offense

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Click the Replace button.

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The Search for Offense screen displays. To replace the offense, enter the Title and Section number of the new offense.

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To select the offense, click on the underlined description of the offense.

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All of fields allow changes if needed. The OTN is a required field. Click Save.

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Deleting Offenses

To Delete an offense, click the OTN link from the Select an Offense screen.

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Copying the Offense Multiple Times

On the Create an Offense screen, enter the value in the Number of Offenses to Create field. This option is only available upon initial creation of the offense.

Click Save.

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Upon returning to the Select an Offense page, the offense copied appears the number of times based on the value entered.

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SGS Web - How to Search for a Judicial Proceeding

The Commission collects data by judicial proceeding. The definition is; a proceeding in which

all offenses for which an offender has been convicted are pending before the court for sentencing at the same time. A judicial proceeding may contain different docket numbers and/or different

Once an offender is attached to a judicial proceeding, searching by judicial proceeding will display the case. Searching by offender could result in finding multiple cases for the offender and determining the judicial proceeding to select may be difficult.

Click the Judicial Proceedings button on the left hand navigation bar.

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Whatever search value is used the results contain the following links: a summary of the judicial proceeding represented by the  icon,

the Offender link represented by an underline;

the Commission ID number represented by an underline.

An i in the icon box indicates the module is incomplete and a check in the icon box 

indicates the module is completed. Enter and complete any of the modules by clicking on the . To proceed to the Sentence module, the PRS and Offense modules must first be completed. Updates to completed modules may be made by clicking on the icon box and making changes within the module.

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SGS Web - How to Enter Sentences

Entering sentencing information can only occur after the PRS and Offense modules are marked complete. On the Sentence screen the required fields are represented with an asterisk *, they are; Sentencing Date, Start Date, Sexually Violent Predator, PSI Completed. Other fields include; JP Costs, JP Fees, Drug and Alcohol Assessment Information and the Disposition Leading to Conviction, Number of Prior RRRI Minimum Sentences Given to the Offender, Offender is RRRI Ineligible.

When the Disposition Leading to Convictions is the same for all the offenses in the judicial proceeding, check the Apply Disposition to all JP Offenses box. Click Save.

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To calculate the RRRI Minimum prior to sentencing, use the RRRI Estimator. Enter the number of days and click Estimate RRRIM. The estimated days/months display on the screen but do not print on the pre-sentence guideline form.

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Click the manage link located to the left of the offense to enter the sanctions for the offense. Enter sentences in the order in which the court sentenced to establish the correct

concurrent/consecutive relationship within the judicial proceeding. SGS Web does not capture information on concurrent or consecutive sentences from other judicial proceedings.

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On the Sentence Sanction Manager screen, the first field displayed is Credit for Time Served. Start Date and End Date fields’ aid in calculating credit for the offense.

Enter information for Fines and Restitution. Select the Type of Disposition if the offense has a different disposition then that selected on the Sentence screen.

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The sanctions display in the following order down the screen, Incarceration, County Intermediate Punishment and Probation.

When entering Incarceration, select the Type based on the facility the offender will serve the sentence in, i.e. County Jail or State Facility. The minimum and maximum are required.

SGS Web is programmed based on the sentencing laws of Pennsylvania and will provide error messages when information is entered incorrectly. Some error checks include; violations of the

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When entering a County Intermediate Punishment sentence, check the Apply Intermediate

Punishment (IP) Sanction box. Select the beginning Restrictive Program (RIP) from the

drop-down list. Users should enter the total amount of time the offender will be in a Restrictive Program and then enter the balance they will serve in the Restorative Program (RS). County IP is a flat sentence and requires an amount of time in a Restrictive Program. Enter values in months and or days.

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Select the beginning Restorative Program (RS) from the drop-down list. Enter the balance of the flat sentence in months and or days.

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Answer the question, “Is IP consistent with clinical recommendations?” Check the box when the answer is yes and leave the box unchecked when the answer is no.

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When entering a Probation sentence, check the Apply Probation Sanction box. Enter the amount of Probation in months and or days. Select a Probation Condition from the drop-down list. Indicate whether the Probation is Concurrent or Consecutive to one item in the drop-down list.

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Answer the Yes/No question for Negotiated Plea as to Sentence.

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After entering one or more sanctions, click the Save Credit and Sanctions button to calculate the Guideline Conformity.

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When the Guideline Conformity is Outside Above or Outside Below, reasons are required.

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There are 2 ways to enter reasons. The first option is by clicking on Reasons and then selecting a reason(s) from the drop-down list. Select the reason by selecting it with the mouse and then click the Add Reason button. Continue to add reasons if needed.

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The second option in providing reasons is by clicking Other Reasons and typing in text. The field allows 300 characters.

Use the Narrative field when the Other Reason field is full and more text is required. The filed allows 1,000 characters. All three fields will print on the Guideline Sentence Form.

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After entry of reasons, click the Finish this Offense and Return to Sentence Page button.

The Finish this Offense and Return to Sentence Page button is selected when the Conformity is Standard, Aggravated or Mitigated.

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The user returns to the Sentence screen and the sanction information displays below the offense. When there are multiple offenses, continue to enter sanctions by clicking on the Manage link for each offense and following the steps previously outlined. When all offenses in the judicial proceeding record a sentence the sentencing module can be completed. The offenses list on the screen numerically according to the sort order from the offense module.

Users should determine the entry order of sentences in a judicial proceeding to establish the correct concurrent/consecutive relationship within the judicial proceeding. SGS Web does not capture information on concurrent or consecutive sentences from other judicial proceedings.

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Upon entry of the second and subsequent offense sanctions, users will be required to indicate whether the incarceration and or the probation sentence are concurrent or consecutive to another offense in the judicial proceeding. Select from the list provided in the drop-down box.

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When the offender has received a sentence of State Intermediate Punishment, click the Add State

IP to All Offenses button found on the Sentence screen.

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The Sentence screen will display 24 months of State IP for each offense and the Conformity will be Standard.

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When the court also orders a consecutive Probation sentence to follow the State IP Sentence, click on the Manage link for the offense and enter the probation amount. Click the Save Credit

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After entry of all sanctions for all the offenses in the judicial proceeding, the Sentence screen will display the sentences and the Conformity. The Module Complete button will be available when all the sentence information is without errors. Click the Module Complete Button.

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Information on Boot Camp eligibility displays as well as the RRRI Minimum Sentence for state incarcerated offenders. Click Save/Continue.

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When the sentence indicates County Incarceration, answer the question, Offender is eligible to

participate in a county re-entry plan. A check in the box  is yes and left unchecked is no.

Click Save/Continue.

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After the Sentencing module is complete, the case still needs sent to the Sentencing Commission. From the Digital Dashboard, click the Commission ID number and select the Submit button.

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SGS Web - How to Submit a Judicial Proceeding

The SGS Web role of County Administrator is required to submit a judicial proceeding, or the County Administrator has grated the user submit privileges for the judge(s) within the county

A judicial proceeding can be submitted after all modules are marked complete (Offender, Prior Record Score, Offense, and Sentence). Please note, the Submit button must be selected to send the case to the Sentencing Commission. Completion of the Sentencing Module alone does not send the case.

To submit a judicial proceeding, find the proceeding on the Digital Dashboard screen or search for the proceeding.

To submit the judicial proceeding from the Digital Dashboard screen locate the case in the Pending Submission Proceedings, found below the Pending Completion list.

Click on the Commission ID link (i.e. W100003886).

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Click the Submit button.

SGS Web returns to the Digital Dashboard screen and the proceeding displays in the Submitted Proceedings list at the bottom of the page.

After selecting the Submit button, there is a 30-day timeframe to modify cases. When a change is required beyond 30 days, contact the Commission and the case can be placed back in pending submission mode. Access to any judicial proceeding is available any time but changes can only occur within 30 days of submitting the case.

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To submit the judicial proceeding by using a search, click the Judicial Proceedings button on the left-hand navigation bar.

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Whatever search value is used the results contain the following links: a summary of the judicial proceeding represented by the  icon,

the Offender link represented by an underline;

the Commission ID number represented by an underline.

To submit the judicial proceeding, the PRS, Offense and Sentence modules should all have a check in the box, . Click on the underlined Commission ID number.

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SGS Web returns to the Digital Dashboard screen and the proceeding displays in the Submitted Proceedings list at the bottom of the page.

After selecting the Submit button, there is a 30-day timeframe to modify cases. When a change is required beyond 30 days, contact the Commission and the case can be placed back in pending submission mode. Access to any judicial proceeding is available any time but changes can only occur within 30 days of submitting the case.

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SGS Web - How to Print Guideline Sentence Forms

A guideline sentence form may be printed or viewed anytime after the creation of a judicial proceeding and at least one entry of a conviction offense. For this feature to work, the installation on the user’s machine of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 4.0 or higher) must have occurred.

When printing a Sentence Guideline Form prior to completing the sentencing module the various check boxes display on the form. Only after clicking the module complete button in the sentencing module, will the sentencing information print on the form.

Select the Judicial Proceeding button on the left-hand navigation bar. Select Guideline Form. To view or print all the forms from a judicial proceeding click the Select All link located above the offenses. To print only one offense, click the OTN number located adjacent to the offense.

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The request submits to a different server, the Guideline Results Request page displays. The

Status field in the center of the page will first display Requested. Allow some time before

clicking on the Refresh button to change the Status field. Users may remain on the screen for the status to change to Complete or may return later to print the form. Use the GL Form Results button found on the left-hand navigation bar to return for printing later.

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When the Status field displays Completed, an underlined Item number is located to the left of the Docket Number. Click the number.

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The guideline sentence forms display one at a time. To view the next offense in the judicial proceeding click the arrow  found in the toolbar near the top of the screen.

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To close the form and return to the Guideline Request Results screen, click the  located in the upper right-hand of the screen.

Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. Sentencing Guideline Software Web Version Training Manual

Sentencing Guideline Software Web Version

Training Manual

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