Recommendation 56

Witnesses suggested other explanations for the decline in the imposition of community orders mostly related to the relationship between sentencers and the Probation Service. The Prison Reform Trust pointed in the direction of Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs), which sentencers can request from the Probation Service: “courts are over 10 times more likely to impose a community sentence if a pre-sentence report (PSR) is conducted” but standard PSRs “have almost entirely been phased out” in recent years (see Box 9, after paragraph 244). 85 Phil Bowen also mentioned “a deterioration in the relationship between sentencers and Probation” (see section on “a matter of confidence”, paragraphs 57–69) as a potential explanation. The National Audit Office listed the “quality and availability of information about offenders available to sentencers”, “sentencers’ confidence in community sentences due to probation arrangements”, and “awareness and availability of options for managing offenders in the community.” 86 A matter of confidence