As Chief Justice of the Appeals Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Scott Kafker is responsible for managing a court with 25 justices who handle a caseload of between 1,500 and 1,700 cases each year. In his adjudication, he strives to mete out justice in a fair and equitable manner to all parties that come before his court. In conjunction with his judicial duties, Scott Kafker is a member of The American Law Institute (ALI).
During the recent ALI Annual Meeting, members gave the go-ahead to the final version of the organization’s Model Penal Code: Sentencing document. The vote is the culmination of a 15-year project to subject the 1962 version of the organization’s penal code recommendations to new eyes and scrutiny, reflecting new research and insights over the past half century.
The ALI’s Model Penal Code is a comprehensive document that offers recommendations and guidance for every aspect of sentencing. Some of the areas analyzed include incarceration length, disparities in sentencing based on race and other improper factors, and juvenile sentencing guidelines.