Michael Tonry offers a comprehensive overview of research, policy developments, and practical experience concerning sentencing and sanctions. He considers what we know about the effects of innovations of the past twenty years on sentencing disparities, and what directions policy should move in the next twenty years. This is an important book. Within its pages Michael Tonry provides us with an unparalleled insight into the main sentencing debates in the United States over the 25 years...Tonry's comparative analysis is virtually unique in its ability to convincingly synthesis material from differing jurisdictions...a scholarly exposition of the substance of sentencing research and policy in the United States in recent years,,,it will prove an invaluable work of reference for sentencing scholars and it is clearly of interest to any serious student of contemporary criminal justice policy. It is, in short, a valuable contribution to the literature for which Professor Tonry is to be congratulated.