Working in Courts

Probation staff provide reports to the courts about people charged with an offence. This helps the Magistrates and Judges decide on the most suitable and effective sentence.

If an individual is charged by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decide the case warrants a prosecution, court proceedings result.

Any case is first heard in the Magistrates Court. Most minor criminal cases can only be tried in Magistrates Courts, but in some cases the accused can opt for trial by jury in Crown Court. Serious offences such as murder are always heard in Crown Court, and magistrates can refer cases to the higher court if they believe the offence warrants a more serious punishment than they can give.

The CPS provides details of the case to help prepare court reports, and probation officers can advise the CPS on the suitability of the offender for bail. The courts have three options when considering bail – they can :-

• refuse bail – in which case the person is remanded in custody ;
• grant bail unconditionally ;
• grant bail under certain conditions, such as residence in an approved bail hostel (www.napbh.org.uk)

PRE-SENTENCE REPORT (PSR) :

Pre-Sentence Reports or PSRs provide information about the offender and the offence(s) committed.

It includes :

• an analysis of the offence ;
• an assessment of the offender ;
• as assessment of the risk of harm to the public ;
• as assessment of the likelihood of reoffending.

In 2006/07, Staffordshire Probation Area completed 3,400 of these reports.

Nearly 75% of these reports resulted in a community sentence being passed by Magistrates Courts.

FAST DELIVERY REPORTS (FDRs) :

These reports provide information to the courts on the same day or up to 5 working days to help speed up the sentencing process. Similar, though less detailed to Standard PSRs, these short reports are suitable where the circumstances of the offence are simple and where the court is considering a straightforward sentence.

In 2006/07, Staffordshire Probation Area completed nearly 1,000 of these reports.

WORKING WITH SENTENCERS :

The relationship between the Probation Service and sentencers is a very important one. Staffordshire Probation Area has staff based at various courts across the County :-

Hanley Crown and Court Court
Bethesda Street, Hanley. ST1 3BP
Tel : 01782 286831
Fax : 01782 287994

Stafford Crown and County Court
Victoria Square, Stafford. ST16 2QQ
Tel : 01785 223433
Fax : 01785 224156

Staffordshire Probation Area keeps judges and magistrates informed on the options available to them when sentencing an offender.

The Service is also required to conduct a yearly survey on sentencer satisfaction.

Download the Probation Bench Guide : Information for Magistrates' Courts in England and Wales (308kb)