State v. Germaine M. Taylor, 2006 WI 22, affirming unpublished summary order
For Taylor: Martha K. Askins, SPD, Madison Appellate
Issue/Holding:
¶28 In terms of the length of his sentence, Taylor argues that there appeared to be no “starting point” for the court of some very low period of confinement, or even the period of confinement recommended by the PSI writer. We cannot agree. At the sentencing hearing, the court clearly began its assessment of the appropriate sentence for Taylor with the PSI and the information and recommendations contained therein: “What drives my decision in this case . . . is the information I’ve received on not only this presentence, but also the presentence that was attached to it that Judge Mueller used in her sentence.”¶29 As stated by this court, “[t]he [PSI] is designed to assist the sentencing court in determining the appropriate sentence for that defendant and the public. Rational and consistent sentencing decisions cannot be achieved without a reliable information base. The [PSI] is supposed to provide the sentencing court with that information base.” State v. Crowell, 149 Wis. 2d 859, 868, 440 N.W.2d 352 (1989) (citations omitted). We believe it is clear from the sentencing transcript that the circuit court properly used the PSI as its information base or starting point for the appropriate sentence to impose.
