Pre-sentence Reports
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) standard delivery, (b) fast delivery, and (c) oral pre-sentence reports were produced in (i) Wales and (ii) England in 2024.
Answered by Sir Nicholas Dakin
The Probation Service is responsible for producing pre-sentence reports (PSRs) where they have been requested by the Court. The PSR assesses the offender’s behaviour, the risk they pose, and recommend sentencing options tailored to the individual. The report can suggest community sentences and specific requirements like treatment programmes. Ultimately, the PSR provides recommendations to the Court, but the final decision rests with the judge.
The following table shows the number of PSRs prepared by the Probation Service and presented to the criminal courts in England and Wales between January 2024 and December 2024.
Magistrates' and Crown Courts | England | Wales | Total |
Total pre-sentence court reports (PSR) | 91,857 | 7,149 | 99,006 |
Standard PSR | 4,838 | 748 | 5,586 |
Fast Delivery PSR written | 71,157 | 4,376 | 75,533 |
Fast Delivery PSR oral | 15,862 | 2,025 | 17,887 |
Note, PSR figures by region are published every April as part of the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin. Please also note that the data pipeline used to compile the figures has been updated. This change was introduced for the 2024 figures. More details can be found in the 'Probation data process transition' section of Chapter 6 of the publication, available here: Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2024 - GOV.UK.
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