When might we get any data (or even a statement) from US Sentencing Commission about the COVID state of federal sentencing?

Today marks exactly four months since Prez Trump, on March 13, officially proclaimed that "the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States constitutes a national emergency."  In this post back in March, I expressed disappointment, but understanding, regarding the US Sentencing Commission's failure at that time to put out any data or statement about the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the federal criminal justice system.  As I said in that post, USSC is not really geared up for producing real-time data even under the best of circumstances, and these are obviously not the best of circumstances.

But since March, the USSC has actually managed to produce and disseminate an impressive array of new publications even during a global pandemic. Here are links to the posts I have done in the last four months reporting on notable new USSC publications:

• US Sentencing Commission published its 2019 Annual Report and Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics (March 2020)
• US Sentencing Commission released new report on "Path of Federal Criminality: Mobility and Criminal History" (April 2020)
• US Sentencing Commission continues to publish helpful data about the pre-COVID federal sentencing world (April 2020)
• "Length of Incarceration and Recidivism" (April 2020)
• US Sentencing Commission releases awesome new data tool, "Interactive Data Analyzer" (June 2020)
• "Retroactivity & Recidivism: The Drugs Minus Two Amendment" (July 2020)

And this list is an incomplete accounting of the USSC's pandemic productivity, as it has also produced nearly 30 new insightful little data documents in its terrific series of reader-friendly "Quick Facts" publications, as well as a number of other notable and valuable documents like an updated new set of training  "Primers" on a wide array of topics. 

But, disappointingly, amidst all this impressive continued productivity, we are still awaiting the US Sentencing Commission producing any data (or even some kind of statement) about COVID's on-going (and evolving?) impact on the federal criminal justice system.  As I have mentioned before, it would prove extremely helpful to advocates, researchers and surely persons involved in the federal sentencing system to know just about anything about how and how many sentencings are being conducted in federal courts.  I suspect I am not the only one eager to see any data on, for example, how many sentencings are going forward each week given that, in normal times, about an average of 1500 federal sentences are imposed in federal courts every week of the year.  I would also be eager to know if a larger number than usual non-prison sentences are being imposed in those sentencings that are going forward.  And any data on sentence reductions motions involving § 3582(c)(1)(A) would also be so very interesting.

I do not mean to unduly assail the USSC during these challenging times, but I fear its failure to say publicly a single word about the COVID state of federal sentencing can make these times even more challenging for those working in the federal system.  In my view, having the USSC discuss ASAP what data it is trying to collect and when the USSC might report on this data could be of great service and could help advance the cause of thoughtful and consistent federal sentencing amidst uncertain times.