Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Deferred
Paragraph: 78
Full written pre-sentence reports should be mandatory for all women facing custodial sentences.
Conclusion
Given the widespread agreement that pre-sentence reports play a crucial role for women, we agree with Lord Farmer and others that full written pre-sentence reports should be mandatory for all women facing custodial sentences.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by outlining plans to provide 456 additional trauma-informed prison places across five women's prisons by early 2025, rather than addressing mandatory full written pre-sentence reports.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
78
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
We do not accept the recommendation, but we support the principle behind the recommendation. The sentencing code is already clear that the court is required to request a Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) unless it considers it to be unnecessary. We recognise the value of quality PSRs and are working to improve their quality, targeting and timeliness. This is why we are running the PSR Pilot, which includes female offenders as a priority cohort as they have been identified as having particular needs for written PSRs. The evaluation of the pilot will be published in 2023. Engagement with the judiciary through written reports and liaison meetings will also include raising awareness of the specific issues faced by women who offend and provide an increased understanding of the possible implications and opportunities of sentencing
Read the full response on Parliament ↗