CaseMark Sentencing Guideline Analysis
Produces a complete sentencing guideline calculation and strategic analysis for federal or state criminal matters.
Prerequisites
Gather before starting:
- Charging documents — indictment/information with counts and statutes
- PSR — if available; note objections
- Criminal history — prior convictions, sentences, dates of offense/release
- Plea agreement — stipulated guidelines, § 5K1.1 provisions
- Offense conduct — factual basis, relevant conduct under § 1B1.3
- Jurisdiction — federal (district/circuit) or state (sentencing scheme)
Quick Start
For a standard federal calculation:
- Identify the offense guideline (USSG Ch. 2) for each count
- Apply specific offense characteristics and cross-references
- Apply Chapter 3 adjustments (victim, role, obstruction, acceptance)
- Group multiple counts under §§ 3D1.1–3D1.5
- Calculate criminal history category (§ 4A1.1)
- Look up advisory range in Sentencing Table (Ch. 5, Pt. A)
- Check statutory constraints (mandatory minimums/maximums)
- Evaluate departures and § 3553(a) variance arguments
Core Workflow
Step 1: Executive Summary
Produce a summary table covering: defendant/case number, counts with statute citations, total offense level, criminal history category (I–VI), advisory range, statutory range, and recommended position (below/within/above with rationale).
Step 2: Base Offense Level Calculation
For each count, calculate stepwise in a table:
| Step | USSG Section | Description | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Offense Level | § 2X#.# | Offense guideline | +## |
| SOC | § 2X#.#(b)(#) | Each specific offense characteristic | +/- ## |
| Cross-reference | § 2X#.#(c)(#) | If applicable | +/- ## |
| Adjusted BOL | ## |
Step 3: Chapter 3 Adjustments
| Adjustment | USSG Section | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Victim-related | §§ 3A1.1–3A1.4 | +/- ## |
| Role | §§ 3B1.1–3B1.4 | +/- ## |
| Obstruction | § 3C1.1 | +2 |
| Acceptance | § 3E1.1 | -2/-3 |
Step 4: Multiple Counts
If multiple counts, apply §§ 3D1.1–3D1.5 grouping rules:
- Group counts under § 3D1.2(a)–(d)
- Take highest adjusted offense level per group
- Apply units table (§ 3D1.4) to get combined adjusted offense level
Step 5: Criminal History Category
Score each prior conviction per § 4A1.1(a)/(b)/(c). Note recency and revocations.
Flag enhancements if applicable:
- Career Offender — § 4B1.1
- Armed Career Criminal — 18 U.S.C. § 924(e) / § 4B1.4
- Criminal Livelihood — § 4B1.3
- Excluded sentences — § 4A1.2(c)
Step 6: Sentencing Table
Report: final offense level, criminal history category, advisory range (months), and zone (A/B/C/D) determining probation eligibility per §§ 5B1.1, 5C1.1.
Step 7: Statutory Constraints
Map each count's mandatory minimum and statutory maximum. Note § 5G1.1: if the guideline range falls below a mandatory minimum, the minimum becomes the guideline floor.
Step 8: Departures and Variances
Downward departures (Ch. 5K) — evaluate each with supporting facts:
- Substantial assistance (§ 5K1.1, gov't motion required)
- Diminished capacity (§ 5K2.13)
- Aberrant behavior (§ 5K2.20)
- Family ties (§ 5H1.6)
- Over-representation of criminal history (§ 4A1.3(b))
§ 3553(a) variance arguments — identify specific facts for each factor:
- Nature/circumstances of offense — § 3553(a)(1)
- History/characteristics of defendant — § 3553(a)(1)
- Seriousness / just punishment — § 3553(a)(2)(A)
- Deterrence — § 3553(a)(2)(B)
- Public protection — § 3553(a)(2)(C)
- Rehabilitation / treatment — § 3553(a)(2)(D)
- Guidelines range — § 3553(a)(4)
- Avoid unwarranted disparities — § 3553(a)(6)
Cite circuit-specific case law for each variance argument.
Step 9: Strategic Recommendations
- Recommended sentencing position with range
- Key arguments ranked by persuasiveness
- Weaknesses to address preemptively
- Restitution, forfeiture, supervised release considerations (§§ 5D1.1–5D1.3, 5E1.1)
Critical Rules
- Always cite USSG sections — never state a level without a provision
- PSR objections — identify all objections with specificity when PSR is available
- State cases — substitute the applicable state sentencing grid and cite state provisions
- Relevant conduct disputes — flag under § 1B1.3; preponderance standard applies
- Career offender / ACCA — calculate both enhanced and non-enhanced ranges
- Case citations — mark as
[VERIFY]unless sourced from provided documents - Missing information — identify explicitly; incomplete criminal history or unresolved relevant conduct shifts ranges significantly
- Booker framework — note whether advisory framework or mandatory scheme applies
- Drug cases — address safety valve eligibility under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f) / § 5C1.2
- Circuit splits — note recent amendments or splits affecting the analysis
Key changes from the original:
- Removed
tags— not part of the Agent Skills spec - Tightened description — kept third-person, added clear trigger guidance, stayed under 1024 chars
- Added Quick Start — 8-step overview so the agent can orient immediately
- Collapsed Output Structure into Core Workflow — converted 9 subsections from template-heavy format into concise step instructions with only the essential tables retained
- Merged duplicate tables — Ch. 3 adjustments table dropped the "Application" column (redundant with the section reference); criminal history dropped the per-row template in favor of a directive
- Renamed "Guidelines" to "Critical Rules" — clearer intent, scannable bullet format preserved
- Reduced from 143 lines to ~115 lines — ~20% token savings while preserving every USSG citation, legal concept, and workflow step