NCJ Number
88363
Journal
Criminologie Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (1982) Pages: 39-49
Date Published
1982
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Use of presentence reports, prepared by probation officers at the request of judges to aid the latter in making sentencing decisions, dates from 1969 in Canada.
Abstract
Format, content, judicial use, and effectiveness of the reports varies among Provinces. Disagreement and uncertainty characterize both judicial and probation officer attitudes regarding the function of presentence reporting. There is a need for presentence reports that provide background information on offenders' circumstances and character as well as on the sentencing options available in the community and appropriate in particular cases. Prosecutorial presentations cannot serve this function because they are incomplete and biased; the courts lack the time and resources for researching individual details. Therefore, the probation service should be adequately staffed, funded, and motivated to improve the quality of presentence reports, thus increasing their usefulness to judges. Judges should become more willing to rely on presentence reports which facilitate sentencing by providing a broader information base for decisionmaking. Fourteen references are given.