Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Editorial Comment: The London Terrorist Attacks: 7 And 21, July 2005, Brian F. Kingshott

Brian F. Kingshott

There is great uncertainty about when and under what circumstances there is a need for a presentence report prior to the sentencing of a young offender. To clear up this confusion, various judgements have addressed the matter. It emerged as a general rule that presentencing reports 'should' be obtained for all offenders under the age of 18 years. However, a court is obliged to obtain a presentence report if a young offender under the age of 18 years: has committed a serious offence, or has previous convictions, or when a sentence of imprisonment, including suspended imprisonment, is about to be …