370 Pa. Super. 444 - Commonwealth v. Pickford’s Empirical Analysis
1987
Citation profile
19 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 19 later decisions — most recently January 2026
19 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Commonwealth v. Tuladziecki · 36 Cal. 3d 236 - People v. Bledsoe · Commonwealth v. Cabeza · Commonwealth v. Sessoms · 367 Pa. Super. 511 - Commonwealth v. Krum
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 19 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“Most important, the court has no ‘duty’ to impose a sentence considered appropriate by the Commission. The guidelines must only be ‘considered’ and, to ensure that such consideration is more than mere fluff, the court must explain its reasons for departure from them. Viewed in this manner, the guidelines are essentially a sophisticated compilation and distillation of a vast range of factors affecting the sentencing process in the abstract, accomplished by persons of expertise representing a broad spectrum of interests. The legislature with the governor’s approval has deemed it proper that the findings of such a body, assembled to assist it in developing and overseeing a sound sentencing system, be given practical application in individual cases as well. We may say that in directing courts to consider these guidelines, just as they must consider a number of listed though non-exclusive factors in imposing probation, the legislature has done no more than direct that the courts take notice of the Commission’s work.”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence“Rape trauma syndrome is one kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. The essential feature of post-traumatic stress disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms after a psychologically traumatic incident that is usually beyond the range of ordinary human experience. Those symptoms typically involve re-experiencing the traumatic incident, numbing the responsiveness to, or lessened involvement with, the external world, and a variety of autonomic, dysphoric or cognitive symptoms.”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence“This case presents a substantial question that the sentence imposed is not appropriate under the Sentencing Code. Defendant was convicted of burglary as a first degree felony. He had thirteen prior convictions for adult crimes and juvenile felonies, including four pri- or burglaries. He served only four months imprisonment under the sentence imposed below. The sentencing court gave no proper consideration to the protection of the public, the nature and circumstances of the crime, defendant’s history and characteristics, presentence investigation, or the sentencing guidelines. The sentence imposed also depreciates the serious nature of defendant’s crime. See 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9721, 9722, 9725. Appeal should therefore be allowed.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.