The Commission promulgates sentencing guidelines, subject to congressional review, that prescribe the appropriate form and severity of punishment for offenders convicted of Federal crimes. The agency's activities are directed by seven voting members, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and two non-voting, ex-officio members. In 1995 the Commission continued its role as a resource to all three branches of the Federal Government on criminal justice issues. This responsibility was highlighted this year by four special reports to Congress on issues that ranged from cocaine to fraud offenses committed against elderly victims. The Commission continued to fulfill its fundamental mission of developing and monitoring the sentencing guidelines, conducting research, and serving as a clearinghouse of information on sentencing issues, while training judges, attorneys, and probation officers on guideline application. In 1995 the Commission made a comprehensive review of the sentencing guidelines its top priority. The objective of this review is to reduce the complexity of guideline application and to assess how well the guidelines are meeting the congressional objectives outlined in the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 and subsequent legislation. The report presents descriptive statistics on the implementation of the sentencing guidelines by judicial district, circuit, and across the Nation. 24 figures and 58 tables