The Utah State Legislature established the Utah Sentencing Commission in 1993. The Commission has the statutory responsibility to advise the Legislature, the Governor, and the Judicial Council regarding sentencing and release policy for adults and juveniles who have committed crimes. The Commission is also responsible to develop sentencing guidelines for adults and juveniles who have been convicted or adjudicated. 

The 2020 Sentencing & Release Guidelines are effective March 1st, and determine the presumptive sentence for offenses committed on or after the effective date. The Guidelines remain in effect until the next publication. An individual’s guideline calculations will be based on the version of the sentencing guidelines that govern on the date the individual was sentenced.

These Juvenile Disposition Guidelines are a cooperative venture. The effort is to provide a mechanism for communication and improvement of key policy rather than to dictate practice by statute or rule. For the Juvenile Disposition Guidelines to function well, several policies are important.