The Research-Based Smarter Sentencing course was developed through the Justice Management Institute to provide information for prosecutors, public defenders, judges, and community corrections professionals to reduce the risk of recidivism through a systemic application of research-based approaches to sentencing. The course teaches the primary stakeholders how to apply these approaches to plea negotiations, sentencing, and parole and probation revocations in order to avoid incarceration while at the same time enhancing public safety. The notebook follows the course, with information presented according to the five modules of the course. Module 1 presents the objective and rational for the course, Module 2 discusses the idea of "Smarter Sentencing", Module 3 discusses how research-based practices ensure effective sentences in order to reduce recidivism, Module 4 examines how other jurisdictions have implemented smarter sentencing approaches, and Module 5 discusses how to develop an action plan for implementing smarter sentencing. Each module includes background information, references pertaining to the information in that module, and exercises for understanding the issues presented in the module. Figures, tables, references, and appendixes