Scrapping of funding by the Government for pre-sentencing cultural reports has been criticised.

The reports consider how an offender's personal, family or cultural background may have contributed to their crime.

Convenor of the Criminal Law Committee Chris Macklin says the process has evolved from Judges asking for more information.

"These reports are not just full of excuses, they often have within them a whole ambit of things- running from very poor decision-making, through to some very tortured -and difficult to hear - background stories."

Those before the court who wish to provide a cultural report will have to fund it themselves.

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