Pre-sentence reports for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: An analysis of language and sentiment
- Publisher:
- Australian Institute of Criminology
- Publication Type:
- Report
- Citation:
- Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 2022, pp. 1-11
- Issue Date:
- 2022-11-30
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Pre-sentence reports (PSRs) provide information to courts on an individual’s background, circumstances, risks, needs and plans. Research has found that PSRs focus heavily on risk of recidivism, while identification of
prosocial cultural and community factors
is limited. This study sought to describe the language and sentiment in these reports. We studied PSRs written for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people sentenced by the mainstream County Court of Victoria and the Koori Court Division of the County Court of
Victoria. Findings indicate that risk-related words are more prevalent than words associated with strengths and
culture in PSRs submitted to both courts. While the frequency of positive and negative sentiment was low in PSRs for both courts, those for the Koori Court were more positive in sentiment.
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