Presentence Investigations

        The officers in the Presentence unit are primarily responsible for interviewing defendants, compiling relevant information regarding defendants and their cases, and submitting a report to the Court at least four days prior to the sentence date.  These reports are important to the Court, the probation department, and the Department of Corrections.  They offer a recommendation for sentencing, restitution amounts, and victims when they are present. eight officers currently comprise the unit, with one officers being assigned to writing sex crime reports.  These officers work closely with the courts, and also the sex offender supervision officers within the department in an effort to recommend the most appropriate sentences for these offenders. For more than half the year, the presentence officers produced up to six reports each week  each, and did so within twenty-one to twenty-eight days from the defendant's change of plea.  If more reports needed to be prepared, these went to field officers for completion. Below is a screen shot of the APETS computer tracking system used by probation departments throughout Arizona.  Specifically, it is a screenshot of the Offender Screening Tool (OST) that assesses the risk/needs of the defendant so that an appropriate recommendation and probation action plan (if sentenced to probation) can be started by the probation officer assigned the newly sentenced case.  Below is an actual defendant's OST assessment.  The defendant's clear need is for drug treatment.  All probation officers and supervisors are trained on this tool.