The Legislature finds and declares that there is:
(1) A need for fair and uniform sentencing;
(2) A need for research on issues regarding sentencing in order to promote a fuller understanding of the efficient, just, and fair operation of this states criminal justice system;
(3) A need for establishing priorities with regard to the severity of the criminal offenses; and
(4) A need to use the limited correctional resources in the state in a manner best able to fulfill the goals of criminal punishment, rehabilitation, and protection of the public while preventing disparate treatment of offenders based on racial, ethnic, cultural, economic, or other factors related to the social status of the offender.