Enhanced Pre-Sentence Report (EPSR).

Sentencing is about judging a fellow human being. The more a sentencing judge truly knows about the offender, the more exact and proportionate the sentence can be. Sometimes it should include a broad swath of relevant historical, social, and cultural knowledge. An IRCA gives the judge an opportunity to learn about how this relates to the offender. A sentence imposed based upon a complex and in-depth knowledge of the person before the court, as they are situated in the past and present reality of their lived experience, will look very different from a sentence imposed upon a cardboard cut-out of an “offender”

— Justice Nakatsuru, R v Jackson, 2018 ONSC 2527

Enhanced pre-sentence reports (EPSRs) are prepared by clinical social workers that provide judges and parole boards with a complete picture of an individual’s personal background, and include recommendations for culturally appropriate, community-based rehabilitation programs.

Through EPSRs, we tell the personal histories of individuals, connecting specific biographical information with research and data about the impact of anti-Black racism.

To inquire about EPSRs, please contact us here.