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 systemic racism.

To inquire about EPSRs, please contact us here.