Determinate penalty systems specify how much punishment offenders will usually receive, the offender is given notice of the sentence imposed prior to serving a large portion of it, and the sentence is relatively fixed. However, determinate sentencing guidelines vary greatly. Not only are their origins, methods of development, and underlying rationales often dissimilar, but standard sentencing procedures, the measurement of seriousness, specification of the in/out line, constraints imposed because of existing statutes, and factors weighed in imposing sentences. The trend toward determinate sentencing will most likely continue in the near future. Two figures, 2 footnotes, and 48 references are included. (Author summary modified)