The Case
Stella is a 42-year-old married mother of two. She works as an occupational therapist at a private nursing home. She is a respected member of the local community and is a member of the parent teacher association (PTA) at her kids’ high school. Stella’s husband Peter formerly worked as an investment banker but is currently unemployed. He was convicted of federal tax evasion in 2007 and served 15 months in prison for this offense.
Stella has just been convicted of state income tax evasion, because she had not paid state income tax for the past two years. Other than this offense, she has no previous record of any convictions. It was determined in court that she owes the state $4150 in back taxes and interest.
The maximum punishment for state income tax evasion is a fine of up to $25,000 and imprisonment for 25 years.
Based on your research and findings, prepare the PSI report for Stella. Include the following in your report:
- In the recommendation section of the PSI report, indicate what type of sentence you would recommend.
- If you recommend probation, state the reasons for doing so and specify any conditions that you recommend the court impose.
- If you do not recommend probation, justify your recommendations with appropriate reasoning.
- Explain how your recommended punishment will deter Stella from committing similar crimes in the future.
To view a sample PSI report, click here. Use this sample report as a guideline only. You will need to create a PSI report specific to the scenario in this assignment
