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 2023 Sentencing & Release Guidelines are effective April 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.

Prior to that date, we are inviting public comment
for a minimum of 30 days, ending January 30, 2023. Please send any comments or feedback to
sentencingcommission@utah.gov.

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. 

The 2022 Master Offense List Report provides details regarding the Master Offense List and the 2022 Legislative Session's decisions on adding, redacting and enhancing offenses.

This guide was created in response to 2021’s Senate Bill 215, which directed the Utah Sentencing Commission to create a guide that “identif[ies] any provision of state law, including the Utah Constitution, and any administrative rule that imposes a collateral consequence.”