[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    REGARDING JUDGE WILLIAM WILKINS

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, this week marks the end of Judge Billy 
Wilkins successful tenure as Chairman of the U.S. Sentencing 
Commission. I want to take this opportunity to praise Judge Wilkins for 
his service as the first Chairman of the Sentencing Commission. I 
applaud him for his tireless efforts to create a workable set of 
sentencing guidelines. Under Judge Wilkins able leadership, the 
Sentencing Commission has labored to end the sometimes gross sentencing 
disparities that existed under the former Federal sentencing scheme.
  Although some criticize the guidelines for being inflexible, those 
same people forget the unfair sentencing disparities that existed under 
the former system. Similarly situation defendants who violated 
identical laws often received strikingly different sentences merely 
because they were sentenced by different judges. The guidelines have 
created much-needed sentencing uniformity.
  After promulgating the initial sentencing guidelines, Judge Wilkins 
advocated tougher sentences where the need was shown. Violent 
offenders, for example, have seen their prison time increase by nearly 
one-third. Under Judge Wilkins leadership, the guidelines have brought 
about ``truth in sentencing'' in the Federal Criminal Justice system. 
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 74 percent of defendants 
sentenced under the guidelines actually go to prison compared with only 
52 percent of defendants in the pre-guidelines cases.
  Judge Wilkins also fought for stiffer penalties for so-called white 
collar criminals. He led the effort to draft corporate sentencing 
guidelines with bite. Those guidelines have since been hailed as having 
a significant deterrent effect.
  Although a steadfast advocate of the need for uniformity in 
sentencing, Judge Wilkins has underscored the need for constant 
improvement of the guidelines. He has emphasized that the Commission 
must be responsive to comments from the lawyers and judges who actually 
work with the guidelines on a day-to-day basis. He has laid a solid 
foundation for further improvements in the guidelines and has done 
everything asked of him by this body.
  For these reasons, I commend Judge Wilkins for his service as 
Chairman of the Sentencing Commission.

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