Criminal Justice Social Work Report

When a Sheriff or JP wants to know more about an accused person, they will ask for a Criminal Justice Social Work Report.  

If the person is going to jail for the first time, the court must have a report.  The Report provides the court with the information and advice it needs to decide the most appropriate way to deal with the offender. 

The Criminal Justice Social Work Report is written by a Social Worker, who will contact the person by letter and ask to attend an interview. The interview will last approximately 1 hour.  

A number of questions including information about the person's current circumstances, personal and social history, previous offences and response to current or previous supervision.  At the end of the in review the Social Worker will explain what sentencing options are available to the court.