Impact of oral and fast delivery pre-sentence reports on the completion of court orders
This report provides a quantitative analysis of whether offenders who have a pre-sentence report (PSR) at sentence are more likely to successfully complete their court order or terminate early.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
A pre-sentence report is advice given to the court following the facts of the case, expert risks and needs assessments, including an independent sentencing proposal and additional relevant information. They must be as objective as possible and exist to assist the judiciary with sentencing.
The number of pre-sentence reports written in England and Wales has decreased in recent years. This was an area of concern in the 2020 white paper, A Smarter Approach to Sentencing, which stated that “The purpose of a pre-sentence report (PSR) is to facilitate the administration of justice, and to reduce an offender’s likelihood of reoffending and to protect the public and/or victim(s) from further harm. A PSR does this by assisting the court to determine the most suitable method of sentencing an offender (Criminal Justice Act 2003, section 158)”.
The paper proposed that “further work is undertaken to build the evidence base on the impact that a PSR has […] on offender outcomes, sentencing behaviour and the efficient administration of justice”. Following this, a PSR pilot began in March 2021. Separately, this report examines the impact of a PSR oral or fast delivery report on the reason that a court order (or sentence) terminated. This research asks if offenders who have a PSR at sentence are more likely to successfully complete their court order or terminate early (for failure to comply with requirements/conviction of an offence)? analysis specifically looks at adults sentenced to a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order (with requirements) in England and Wales in 2016.