Research and analysis
Pre-sentence reports in the youth justice system
Independent research exploring the production and utilisation of pre-sentence reports (PSRs) in the youth justice system.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissioned Ipsos and Manchester Metropolitan University to conduct research into PSRs.
PSRs bring together important information about a child to help inform the court’s sentencing decision.
This report explores the use and quality of PSRs in the youth justice system. It also explores whether PSRs might contribute to racial disparity in sentencing decisions as identified by previous YJB-funded research, which showed that Black children were more likely to receive harsher sentencing outcome after controlling for other factors.
This publication includes:
- the research report, including an accessible version
- a technical annex