Process evaluation of the Pre-Sentence Report Pilot
This report provides findings from a process evaluation of the Pre-Sentence Report pilot.
Applies to England and Wales
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The Probation Service assists the court through a Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) – an expert assessment of the nature and causes of an offender’s behaviour, the risk they pose and to whom. A PSR is used to inform the most suitable method of sentencing an offender.
In response to a significant decrease in the number of PSRs being requested by the judiciary between 2010 and 2018 (Sentencing White Paper, 2020), an Alternative Delivery Model (ADM) for PSRs was piloted in 15 magistrates’ courts, aiming to facilitate an increase in the delivery of timely and high quality PSRs.
This process evaluation sought to gather evidence on the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of the PSR pilot, to inform future policy decisions around the use of PSRs in England and Wales. To do this, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and probation staff and members of the judiciary were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews, online surveys and group workshops. In addition, monitoring information on the number and types of PSRs in the pilot magistrates’ courts was reviewed.
Related link
Impact of oral and fast delivery pre-sentence reports (PSRs) on the completion of court orders