A court should not defer sentencing under s 19B unless there is a real likelihood that the information obtained will materially change the balance of sentencing considerations and significantly affect the ultimate sentence. An 'intervention program' requires a structured plan supervised by the Department of Correctional Services under a bail agreement; a series of voluntary consultations or unstructured counselling does not qualify. Deferral will rarely be appropriate where a sentence of immediate imprisonment is called for, because punishment and general deterrence remain important considerations that are not displaced by s 19B.
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