Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Deferred
Paragraph: 76
Pre-sentence reports have substantially declined, lacking clear action to increase their use.
Conclusion
Pre-sentence reports (PSRs) provide the opportunity for a more personalised response to offending in order to support effective sentencing. We are concerned to see that the number of reports has declined substantially over the last 10 years. We welcome the work that the Ministry of Justice is doing to improve the quality of PSRs; however, it is less clear what work is being done to increase their use. The Ministry of Justice should evaluate why the number of pre-sentence reports has declined in recent years, and what work is being done to increase the use of pre-sentence reports.
Government Response Summary
The government announced £24 million over 3 years to support women in the criminal justice system through women's community sector investment and service integration, but did not specifically address the decline in pre-sentence reports or how it plans to increase their use.
Paragraph Reference:
76
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
We accept this recommendation. On 31 August we announced that £24 million has been secured over the next 3 years to support women in or at risk of contact of the criminal justice system, through investment in the women’s community sector and through promoting better local integration of services to support women. Women’s services providers will be able to bid for grants to support: • core costs, such as heating bills. • new interventions, such as a court support worker, extending their service into new areas, supporting employment opportunities or a residential women’s centre; and • the integration of women’s services in local areas into a Whole System Approach (WSA).