Presentence Investigations

In most Superior Court cases, when the Court has made a determination of a defendant's guilt and has the discretion over the penalty, it must order a Presentence Report. These reports are then completed by the Presentence Division of the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department. The Presentence Division consists of Screeners and Probation Officers who work collaboratively to gather information for the Presentence Report to be submitted to the Court.

General Guidelines:

• A Presentence Report will include case information, defendant information, statements from interested parties, a risk assessment, screenings, and a recommendation for sentencing.
• Early in the process, a Presentence Screener meets with the defendant to gather information and to complete a risk assessment.  The Screener then provides the information to the Probation Officer for additional investigation.
• One of the critical functions of a Presentence Probation Officer is to contact victims for a statement to include in the report. The Officer explains the Court process to victims and discusses financial losses resulting from the offense. The Victim Statement affords the victim a voice in the sentencing process for the Judicial Officer to take into consideration when making the sentencing determination.
• The Presentence Probation Officer gathers and verifies relevant information and uses, the data collected from the risk assessment to formulate and support a recommendation. The Presentence Probation Officer prepares the report and submits it to the Court, defense and prosecution.
• If probation is granted at sentencing, the individual returns to the Presentence Assessment Center, where staff will verify that the  assessment was completed, provide appropriate referrals, and inform the probationer of their Probation Officer assignment and contact information.