Writing the Report - Motivation and Readiness to Change

This section of the report should focus on identifying the rehabilitative needs and indicating how these will be addressed.

Note: Assessment of any rehabilitative needs should relate to all current offending, and not just the primary offence.

Motivation

The offender’s motivation should not be the sole factor that guides the sentencing option. Motivation is considered a dynamic factor and probation officers can work with offenders to increase or maintain motivation once they have been sentenced.

However, if an offender is clearly not motivated to address any aspect of their offending, this may contribute to recommendations for a sentence with punitive/reparation elements (includes CW, CD, HD and prison) rather than a rehabilitative sentence.

Rehabilitative needs

In simple language, identify any of the eight rehabilitative needs that directly contributed to the offending or support offending behaviour.

References to these needs should not contain any departmental jargon and should be described only as rehabilitative needs.

Possible descriptions of each rehabilitative need are listed as examples:

• use of violence (violence propensity)
• abuse of alcohol and/or other drugs (alcohol and other drugs)
• absence of relationship skills/relationship difficulties (relationship difficulties)
• desire for sexual gratification (offence related sexual arousal), and
• gambling addiction (gambling).
• anti-social/pro-criminal attitude (offending supportive attitudes and entitlement)
• unhelpful lifestyle balance (unhelpful lifestyle balance), and
• criminal associates (if applicable) or friends/family supporting offending behaviour (offending supportive associates).

Evidence for rehabilitative needs

Using information from the offending and needs assessment, provide evidence supporting identification of any rehabilitative needs.

Example: If alcohol and other drug abuse has been identified as a rehabilitative need, state the extent of the abuse and how it contributed to the offending (e.g. the offender acknowledged consuming 12 bottles of beer in the two hours before he drove home).

Addressing rehabilitative needs

 Indicate how the rehabilitative needs can be addressed (e.g. counselling or treatment options) and the offender’s response and motivation to the suggested options.

Note: Quote relevant counsellors and programme providers if they are able to verify steps the offender has made to voluntarily address their offending behaviour.

• Summarise responses to addressing rehabilitative needs and, if appropriate, note if the offender justifies or minimises their offending behaviour
• summarise responses to previous sentences, include basic work & living skills (BWLS)
• summarise response to current sentences using CPPS records, and
• if relevant, use the AUDIT/DAST conclusions to support or negate any assessment of the offender’s alcohol, drug or gambling issues.

Note: Do not refer directly to the names of the assessments in the body of the report but instead describe them as “Corrections’ assessment tools”.

Risk of further offending

• Describe the risk of further offending (do not give the RoC*RoI score)
• describe risk as low, moderate or high and state if any key behaviours would increase or decrease this risk (e.g. the offender has been assessed as being at medium risk of further offending but this risk could increase should they continue to abuse alcohol), and
• consider and report the outcome of any specialist safety assessments the offender has been referred to.

Ability to comply

Describe any concerns about the offender’s ability to comply with the sentence or combination of sentences. Consider their:

• literacy
• transport issues
• childcare responsibilities
• intelligence
• health impediments (i.e. can they perform CW?)
• response to previous interventions/sentences/orders, and
• motivation (if considering intensive supervision).