The Presentence Report

The Presentence Report

There are many steps to the process of coming up with a conclusion on what a convicts conviction would be and the Presentence Report is a very big part of it. There are also different guidelines to what a convict can and cannot get as a conviction.

The Presentence Report which has been a source of information since the 1920's is done by the probation officer that is assigned to a convict. The Probation Officer is to look into the convict's background to determine a conviction that is best for everyone. The report can include information on the convict from outside sources such as family, friends and the victim's themselves. The report also can consist of priors, description of the crime, work history, marital status, finances, length of residence and any other information of the convict. The Presentence Report also involves things such as, if the person needs to attend a GED course or if they need to attend any sort of rehab.

Another important matter the Presentence Report has for the convict is the sentencing guidelines which have been adopted or thought about in twenty states. When a state has sentencing guidelines it helps to see that people that commit the same crime get the same type of punishment depending on the seriousness of the crime and the offender's history. The Federal Government constructed the guidelines into two a chart with two sections. These sections go on points depending on the seriousness of the crime and criminal history of the defendant, for example for a Felony DWI which is in the middle of the chart a defendant is able to get up to a year in jail and or some kind of probation depending on how many points a person has on their record.

It is very important to have the presentence report for in some ways it can help to make sure that all the same guidelines are followed for all convicts.

References:

Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice "The Presentence Investigation Report, Know your Rights" http://www.sad.org/psi.htm

Ninth Edition American Corrections, By T. Clear, G. Cole, M. Resisig