Sentencing Guidelines and pre-sentence reports

That this House recognises that everyone should be treated equally under the law; further recognises the vital role pre-sentence reports (PSRs) play in providing courts with the information they need to make informed sentencing decisions that keep our communities safe while aiming to rehabilitate offenders; believes that the equal application of justice is a fundamental principle of a fair society; expresses concern that the use of PSRs has declined sharply by 44% between 2013 and 2023; notes with concern that the Probation Service has been left overstretched and under-resourced, making it difficult to consistently deliver high-quality PSRs; acknowledges the importance of addressing disproportionality that sees ethnic minority communities over-represented in the criminal justice system, including by fully implementing the recommendations of the Lammy and Angiolini Reviews; and calls on the Government to restore public confidence and ensure everyone is treated equally under the law by taking steps to make PSRs consistently available and bringing forward a Royal Commission on Sentencing to restore public confidence and guide evidence-based reforms.