Why Do They Do It?

"I urge you to co-operate with the Probation Service in the preparation of your pre-sentence report as it may be very influential when you are to be sentenced". This is a standard phrase that I use and include in letters when Clients have pleaded guilty and their case has been adjourned for pre-sentence reports. If a PSR has been ordered I usually come out of Court and verbally advise my Clients to drop everything to ensure that they attend at their appointment with Probation. The appointment is usually made by the Probation Service sending the Client a letter in the post telling them to attend their office within a few days at an appointed date and time.

With this advice in mind I still fail to understand why some of my Clients simply do not attend for their PSR interviews. I have heard all of the excuses under the sun. Some of my Clients fail to understand that where a PSR has been ordered considering all sentencing options, including prison, the fact that they fail to turn up to the PSR interview without a good excuse suggests that they are lazy and unlikely to comply with any other sentence supervised by the Probation Service.

What frustrates me about Clients who fail to attend at their appointment for their PSR interview is that I am usually left to explain to the Court why the interview did not take place as arranged. Sometimes the Court will refuse to adjourn the case further and they proceed to sentencing with only prison in mind.