Prepare a Case for Sentence ServiceThe Civil Service crest

We are committed to improving the quality of our advice to court and pre-sentence reports, to ensure proposals target specific interventions and treatment requirements that will facilitate reduced reoffending.

What it is

Prepare a Case for Sentence is a new digital service for probation practitioners and administrators in magistrates’ courts.  It provides an overview of all defendants attending court on a given day, automatically identifying offenders with existing probation records and their probation status – current, previously known, or no record.  If a defendant is known to probation, the service links the probation record to the case and displays key information from NDelius and Libra, covering three key areas: case summary, probation record and risk register.

What it offers colleagues

By providing this information in a quickly accessible and usable format, colleagues are able to provide better advice to the court with less effort and minimise avoidable adjournments.

The service also offers seven working days of court listing information; current and previous order information; defendants in breach of an order are flagged on the case list;  a direct link to a defendant’s nDelius contact log is provided;  and users can quickly switch between case lists at different courts and filter case lists by probation status, courtroom and session.

Rollout

Following an expanded trial in 10 courts involving approximately 200 staff over three months, a rollout plan will be developed which will see the service gradually introduced to all magistrates’ courts across England and Wales.  We expect all court staff to have adopted the service by the second half of 2021.

If you would like more information about our Prepare a Case for Sentence Service, please see our Staff FAQ and February Team Briefing.