Presentence Investigation Essay

Presentence Investigation Report Presentence investigation (PSI) is a legal term referring to the investigation into the history of person convicted of a crime before sentencing to determine if there are justifying circumstances which should improve the sentence or a history of criminal behavior to increase the harshness of the sentence. The PSI “is very critical in the sentencing decision, it provides judges specific factors about the offender that are considered to determine his or her risk to the community.”(Putting Corrections in Perspective) It is also used in determining supervision needs during probation, by prison officials in classifying offenders and determining program, by the people board in making release decisions, and for research

He believed that the object of the law was to reform criminals and to prevent crime and not to punish cruel or of revenge.”Augustus’s leadership led the Massachusetts legislature to establish the nation’s first probation law in 1878. By authorizing the Mayor of Boston to appoint a member of the police department to serve as a paid probation officer, this statute formalized the practice of extending probation to "such persons as may be reasonably be expected to be reformed without punishment." The law was expanded in 1891 with the creation of an independent state wide probation system. By the time that the National Probation Act was passed in 1925 creating a Federal probation service, the majority of states had probation statutes.”(The History of...) A PSI shall be conducted and a PSI report prepared after the offender has been found guilty of a felony. “As part of the PSI, the field agent shall

Once the supervisor signs off they forward it to the chief who signs off on it then sends it to the court for sentencing. They are expensive propositions, they take a lot of man hours and hard work. This is a very important report, because it is the very first thing the judge sees in court when at a sentencing hearing. The purpose of a PSI is to assist the judge in determining an appropriate sentencing based on the charges the offender was convicted of. It is important that the defendant is truthful while giving the information asked of him or her. It is supposed to help the judge come up with a sentencing that is right and equal for the crime you have committed. Some crimes have a minimum and maximum sentencing. A judge takes several things into consideration when determining what your sentence will be. First is the law, but aside from any guidelines within the statute, they will gather the majority of their information from the presentence report submitted to them by the officer. What a judge is looking for when reading over the report is what sentence will serve you and the community the best. They will consider public safety and the chance that you will reoffend. Things like your employment status and your family situation may weigh in your favor if they are