A Judge always asks for a pre sentence report to guide him/her in sentencing. A pre sentence report delves in the character of the accused and any previous records and his/her behaviour.

It stands for Pre Sentence Report, the report completed on the offender by the serivce prior to sentencing.

Yes, a pre-sentencing report is commonly used.

It is the provision of advice to Court (which is very much like the pre-sentence report)

A pre-sentence investigation can disclose many good things about your past which might assist the judge in rendering an appopriate sentence - VERSUS - A pre-sentence report can disclose all the bad things about your past which might assist the judge in rendering an apporpriate sentence.