Criminal Justice Act 1967

57 Social inquiry report before sentence.

(1) The Secretary of State may by rules make provision requiring that in any case to which the rules apply a court of any prescribed class shall before passing on any person a sentence to which the rules apply consider a social inquiry report, that is to say a report about him and his circumstances, made by a probation officer or any other person authorised to do so by the rules.

(2) Rules under this section may apply to a sentence of imprisonment or detention of any class prescribed by the rules and may make different provision for different cases.

(3) No sentence shall be invalidated by the failure of a court to consider a social inquiry report in accordance with rules under subsection (1) of this section, but any other court on appeal from that court shall consider such a report in determining whether a different sentence should be passed on the appellant from the sentence passed on him by the court below.

(4) In this section " sentence of imprisonment or detention " means a sentence of imprisonment, borstal training or detention in a detention centre or a sentence of detention passed under section 53 of the [1933 c. 12.] Children and Young Persons Act 1933 (young offenders convicted of grave crimes).