AMENDMENT 3
Chapter One, Part B is amended by deleting §1B1.3 in its entirety as follows:
"§1B1.3. Relevant Conduct
To determine the seriousness of the offense conduct, all conduct, circumstances, and injuries relevant to the offense of conviction shall be taken into account.
(a) Unless otherwise specified under the guidelines, conduct and circumstances relevant to the offense of conviction means:
acts or omissions committed or aided and abetted by the defendant, or by a person for whose conduct the defendant is legally accountable, that (1) are part of the same course of conduct, or a common scheme or plan, as the offense of conviction, or (2) are relevant to the defendant’s state of mind or motive in committing the offense of conviction, or (3) indicate the defendant’s degree of dependence upon criminal activity for a livelihood.
(b) Injury relevant to the offense of conviction means harm which is caused intentionally, recklessly or by criminal negligence in the course of conduct relevant to the offense of conviction.
Commentary
Application Note:
1. In sentencing, the court should consider all relevant offense and offender characteristics. For purposes of assessing offense conduct, the relevant conduct and circumstances of the offense of conviction are as follows:
a. conduct directed toward preparation for or commission of the offense of conviction, and efforts to avoid detection and responsibility for the offense of conviction;
b. conduct indicating that the offense of conviction was to some degree part of a broader purpose, scheme, or plan;
c. conduct that is relevant to the state of mind or motive of the defendant in committing the crime;
d. conduct that is relevant to the defendant’s involvement in crime as a livelihood.
The first three criteria are derived from two sources, Rule 8(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, governing joinder of similar or related offenses, and Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence, permitting admission of evidence of other crimes to establish motive, intent, plan, and common scheme. These rules provide standards that govern consideration at trial of crimes "of the same or similar character," and utilize concepts and terminology familiar to judges, prosecutors, and defenders. The governing standard should be liberally construed in favor of considering information generally appropriate to sentencing. When other crimes are inadmissible under the Rule 404(b) standard, such crimes may not be "relevant to the offense of conviction" under the criteria that determine this question for purposes of Chapter Two; such crimes would, however, be considered in determining the relevant offender characteristics to the extent authorized by Chapter Three (Adjustments), and Chapter Four (Criminal History and Criminal Livelihood) and Chapter Five, Part H (Specific Offender Characteristics). This construction is consistent with the existing rule that "[n]o limitation shall be placed on the information concerning the background, character, and conduct of a person convicted of an offense . . . for the purpose of imposing an appropriate sentence," 18 U.S.C. § 3577, so long as the information "has sufficient indicia of reliability to support its probable accuracy." United States v. Marshall, 519 F. Supp. 751 (D. Wis. 1981), aff’d, 719 F.2d 887 (7th Cir. 1983).
The last of these criteria is intended to ensure that a judge may consider at sentencing, information that, although not specifically within other criteria of relevance, indicates that the defendant engages in crime for a living. Inclusion of this information in sentencing considerations is consistent with 28 U.S.C. § 994(d)(11).".
A replacement guideline with accompanying commentary is inserted as §1B1.3 (Relevant Conduct (Factors that Determine the Guideline Range)).
Reason for Amendment: The purpose of this amendment is to clarify the guideline. The amended language restates the intent of §1B1.3 as originally promulgated.
Effective Date: The effective date of this amendment is January 15, 1988.