Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure 877 – Protection of investigation reports
Terms Used In Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure 877
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Presentence report: A report prepared by a court's probation officer, after a person has been convicted of an offense, summarizing for the court the background information needed to determine the appropriate sentence. Source: U.S. Courts
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
A. The presentence and postsentence investigation reports shall be privileged and shall not be disclosed directly or indirectly to anyone other than the sentencing court, the victim or the victim’s designated family member, as defined in La. Rev. Stat. 46:1842, the prosecutor, members of the division of probation and parole within the office of adult services, the officer in charge of the institution to which the defendant is committed, the committee on parole, the probation or the parole officer if the defendant is placed on probation or released on parole, medical authorities directly involved in the defendant’s rehabilitation or treatment if the defendant is committed to a hospital or a substance abuse program, the Board of Pardons, and the governor or his representative. However, this Article shall not require the disclosure of sources of confidential information.
B. Before imposing sentence the court may advise the defendant or his counsel of the factual contents and conclusions of any presentence investigation report. The sources of confidential information shall not, however, be disclosed. If the defendant contests any information contained in the presentence report, the court shall provide the district attorney the same access to the report as was given to the defendant or his counsel. The district attorney may respond to the defendant’s contentions concerning the information in the presentence report.
C. The presentence investigation report, edited to protect sources of confidential information, shall be made a part of the record if the defendant seeks post-conviction relief only on the grounds of an excessive sentence imposed by the court.
Acts 1985, No. 200, §1, eff. July 6, 1985; Acts 1985, No. 384, §1; Acts 1992, No. 300, §1; Acts 1999, No. 148, §1; Acts 1999, No. 783, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2000.