The opening chapter discusses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's authority, statutory mandate, its basic approach, and the commission's guidelines for resolving major issues. The presentation of procedures for applying the guidelines indicates how the various chapters in the manual are to be used. Guidelines are provided for the base offense level of the variety of offense types according to specific offense characteristics within each type. The guideline for the base offense is then adjusted according to factors related to the victim, the offender's role in the crime, obstruction of justice, multiple counts, the offender's acceptance of responsibility, and the offender's criminal history. For the particular guideline range, the manual specifies sentencing requirements and options related to probation, imprisonment, supervision conditions, fines, and restitution. A separate chapter covers sentencing procedures and the handling of plea argreements, followed by a chapter on procedures for dealing with violations of probation and supervised release. Appendixes contain a statutory index and authorizing legislation and related sentencing provisions.