?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drugsandalcohol.ie%2F27967%2F&rft.title=Individualising+justice%3A+pre-sentence+reports+in+the+Irish+criminal+justice+system.&rft.creator=MaGuire%2C+Niamh&rft.creator=Carr%2C+Nichola&rft.subject=Youth+(juvenile)+offending&rft.subject=Criminal+penalty&rft.subject=Probation+or+parole&rft.subject=Law+enforcement+and+the+justice+system&rft.subject=Offender&rft.subject=Ireland&rft.description=Pre-sentence+or+pre-sanction+reports+(PSRs)+provide+judges+with+information+on+the+personal+circumstances%2C+background+and+attitude+of+a+defendant%2C+an+assessment+of+risk+of+reoffending%2C+and+typically+include+sentence+recommendations1.+Yet+despite+their+potential+to+contribute+to+the+sentencing+process+in+Ireland%2C+we+know+relatively+little+about+how+PSRs+are+constructed+in+practice%2C+when+and+in+what+circumstances+they+are+requested%2C+how+probation+officers+construct+and+%E2%80%98craft%E2%80%99+their+report%2C+how+judges+view+or+interpret+the+contents+of+the+report%2C+and+perhaps+most+significantly%2C+the+impact+that+such+reports+have+on+sentencing+practice.+%0D%0A%0D%0APrevious+sentencing+research+has+shown+that+social+and+moral+reasoning%2C+in+the+form+of+information+about+the+character%2C+personality+and+circumstances+of+an+individual%2C+can+be+highly+influential+in+sentencing%2C+especially+when+judges+are+choosing+between+custodial+and+non-custodial+penalties+(Tombs+and+Jagger%2C+2006%3B+Millie+et+al.%2C+2007%3B+Maguire%2C+2008%3B+Tata+et+al.%2C+2008%3B+Beyens+and+Scheirs%2C+2010%3B+Phoenix%2C+2010).+While+legal+factors+are+also+important%2C+research+shows+that+judicial+interpretations+of+the+offender%E2%80%99s+character+and+attitude%2C+as+well+as+their+interpretations+of+certain+aspects+of+an+individual%E2%80%99s+personal+and+social+circumstances%2C+including+employment+and+relationship+status%2C+are+influential+in+terms+of+their+decision+to+impose+either+a+custodial+or+non-custodial+penalty+(Tombs+and+Jagger%2C+2006%3B+Millie+et+al.%2C+2007%3B+Maguire%2C+2008%2C+2010%2C+2011).+The+type+of+information+provided+in+pre-sentence+reports+is+also+the+type+of+information+that+is+influential+in+sentencing%2C+however%2C+to+date+there+has+been+no+research+in+the+Irish+context+exploring+the+relationship+between+pre-sentence+reports+and+sentencing.+%0D%0A%0D%0ASimilarly%2C+the+contribution+that+probation+officers+make+to+sentencing%2C+through+the+provision+of+PSRs%2C+is+relatively+unexplored+(Carr+and+Maguire%2C+2012).+Traditionally+the+role+of+the+probation+officer+in+the+criminal+justice+system+was+considered+to+be+more+welfare+than+control+oriented+(Healy%2C+2015%3B+Carr%2C+2016).+Given+this+practice+perspective+and+the+history+of+the+development+of+probation+(i.e.+as+an+alternative+to+custody)+(McNally%2C+2007%3B+2009)%2C+probation+officers+would+be+expected+to+recommend+the+use+of+non-custodial+over+custodial+sanctions.+Similarly%2C+pre-sentence+reports+would+be+expected+to+focus+on+the+social+aspects+of+the+defendant%E2%80%99s+situation+and+to+contain+information+which+would+assist+consideration+of+the+appropriateness+of+a+community+based+sanction.+%0D%0A%0D%0AMore+recently+it+has+been+argued+that+more+emphasis+has+been+placed+on+control+elements+in+probation+practice+in+response+to+policy+changes+that+have+foregrounded+public+protection+(Fitzgibbon+et+al.%2C+2010).+In+Ireland%2C+this+is+illustrated+by+the+introduction+of+risk+assessment+tools+in+2004+and+by+the+increasing+importance+that+the+Probation+Service+places+on+the+need+to+protect+the+community+and+provide+for+public+safety+(Richardson%2C+2008%3B+Bracken%2C+2010%3B+Healy%2C+2015).+An+important+question+is+the+extent+to+which+pre-sentence+reports+now+prioritise+risk+assessment+over+other+forms+of+information+and+if+this+is+the+case%2C+the+influence+that+this+may+have+on+judicial+sentencing+practices.+%0D%0A%0D%0APre-sentence+reports+also+represent+a+key+point+of+exchange+between+two+distinct+professional+groups+within+the+criminal+justice+system.+Probation+officers+and+judges+have+very+different+professional+backgrounds+and+training+and+are+likely+to+view+issues+from+different+perspectives.+Previous+research+has+explored+pre-sentence+reports+as+a+form+of+communication+between+report+writers+and+judges+(Tata+et+al.%2C+2008%3B+Beyens+and+Scheirs%2C+2010%3B+Wandall%2C+2010).+This+research+is+similarly+focused+on+pre-sentence+reports+as+a+form+of+communication+between+report+writers+and+judges+and+an+important+question+which+we+explore+is+the+extent+to+which+the+processes+of+communication+embodied+in+the+reports+align+with+the+specific+aims+and+objectives+of+those+writing+the+reports+and+with+the+expectations+of+those+receiving+and+interpreting+the+reports.&rft.publisher=Probation+Service&rft.date=2017-07&rft.type=Report&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drugsandalcohol.ie%2F27967%2F1%2FIndividualising_Justtice_Pre-Sentence%2520_Reports_in_the_Irish_Criminal_Justice_System.pdf&rft.identifier=++++++++MaGuire%2C+Niamh+%3Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.drugsandalcohol.ie%2Fview%2Fpeople%2FMaGuire%3D3ANiamh%3D3A%3D3A.html%3E+and+Carr%2C+Nichola+%3Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.drugsandalcohol.ie%2Fview%2Fpeople%2FCarr%3D3ANichola%3D3A%3D3A.html%3E+++++++++(2017)+++Individualising+justice%3A+pre-sentence+reports+in+the+Irish+criminal+justice+system.+++++++Dublin%3A+Probation+Service.+++++++