1.   Stacey Koon was too lenient, in violation of federal sentencing guidelines.

2.   Although Parker made clear he was not bound by the agreement, he also indicated that the specified penalties seemed to be within the binding federal sentencing guidelines.

3.   And most important, more companies are awakening to the significance of new federal sentencing guidelines, which reward companies that police themselves and punish those that do not.

4.   As he recounts the cases of his fellow inmates, he is especially hard on federal mandatory sentencing guidelines, which he finds not just cruel.

5.   A federal appeals court in Atlanta is considering a separate challenge that cites discrimination in arguing for an end to sentencing guidelines that require tougher penalties for crack.

6.   A federal judge in California appointed by President Bush, Democrats point out, wants to decriminalize drugs and has been cavalier about sentencing guidelines.

7.   A ruling could determine how much discretion federal judges have in deviating from sentencing guidelines.

8.   A similar issue has arisen in the United States, where federal sentencing guidelines call for longer sentences for convictions involving crack cocaine than for offenses involving cocaine powder.

9.   A third would allow judges to deviate from sentencing guidelines.

10.   Accepting responsibility is one of the considerations in the federal sentencing guidelines.