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Defender General urges removing mandatory PSI for deferred sentences, citing delays and case resolvability
Summary
At a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Defender General Matt Valerio supported S.181, saying it would remove the absolute requirement for pre-sentence investigations in many deferred-sentence cases and speed resolutions, while members questioned PSI delays and victim participation.
Matt Valerio, the defender general, told the House Judiciary Committee on April 2 that S.181, the deferred-sentence bill, "eliminates the absolute requirement of a pre sentence investigation." He said the bill would restore the prior practice in most cases while preserving judicial discretion to order a PSI when the court deems it necessary.
Valerio framed the change as a practical fix for cases in which the state has difficulty proving its case or where witnesses are unavailable. "One of the ways it comes up is in cases where the state has a lot of difficulty proving its case," he said, describing scenarios in which a complaining witness has recanted or cannot be located. He argued that requiring a PSI in those moments often delays plea resolutions and can cause…
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