Criminal procedure

Presentence Report

A presentence report, or PSR, is the probation office's investigation of the defendant and the offense, prepared to guide the judge at sentencing.

It calculates the advisory guideline range, catalogs criminal history, and describes the defendant's background, finances, health, and family. Both sides file written objections, and the judge resolves the disputes at sentencing.

It is the single most consequential document in the sentencing phase and it is not public. The PSR also follows the defendant into custody, where the Bureau of Prisons uses it for classification and programming decisions.

For anyone reading a docket, the PSR explains the silence. Sentencing is typically set three to four months after a plea because the report has to be investigated, disclosed, objected to, and revised before the hearing can happen. Because it is not public, researchers reading a docket see only its shadow: the objections, the sentencing memoranda that respond to it, and the statement of reasons filed under seal after the hearing.