The mental health watchdog in Scotland said that the Scottish Prison Service needed to review its health centre facilities to consider the needs of prisoners with mental health problems.
Source: Mental Health of Prisoners: Themed visit report into prison mental health services in Scotland, Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Dec
An independent review of criminal law in Scotland recommended: a right to legal advice on being taken into custody; a limit on the period of arrest before charge to 12 hours; particular protection and rights for children and vulnerable adults; greater powers for police to conduct structured investigations; less restrictive rules around evidence and a removal of the need for corroboration; and adjustments to the relationship between the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission and the High Court.
Source: The Carloway Review: Report and Recommendations, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Summary | Review press release | Scottish Government press release | JUSTICE press release | Rape Crisis Scotland press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Nov
The equality and human rights watchdog in Scotland said that human trafficking existed throughout the country, arising from the exploitation of vulnerable victims, demand for cheap labour, and profit-driven organized crime. Scotland had made some progress on tackling trafficking, but lacked a comprehensive strategy to effectively deal with the crime.
Source: Inquiry into Human Trafficking in Scotland, Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland
Links: Report | Summary | EHRC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Nov
A study examined the available research evidence on drug interventions in Scotland in terms of effectiveness and costs. Evidence on treatment outcomes suggested that the benefit-cost ratio for structured interventions made such intervention cost-effective.
Source: Margaret Malloch, Interventions for Drug Users in the Criminal Justice System: Scottish Review, Research Report 5/2011, Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Nov
The Scottish Government published a paper outlining proposals for the future of legal aid provision.
Source: A Sustainable Future for Legal Aid, Scottish Government
Links: Paper | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2011-Oct
A review group report said that the existing system whereby the United Kingdom Supreme Court acted as a court of appeal within the criminal justice system was constitutionally problematic, and affected the historical independence of Scots law. The role of the UK Supreme Court needed to be more narrowly defined in relation to Scottish criminal cases.
Source: John McCluskey, Gerald Gordon, Charles Stoddart, and Neil Walker, Examination of the Relationship Between the High Court of Justiciary and the Supreme Court in Criminal Cases: Final Report of Review Group, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Scottish Government press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Sep
An audit report said that inefficiency in Scotland's criminal justice system caused delays for everyone involved, including victims and witnesses, and had cost at least £10 million in 2009-10.
Source: An Overview of Scotland's Criminal Justice System, Audit Scotland
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release | Scottish Government press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Sep
The Scottish Government began consultation on proposals to create a single police service for Scotland.
Source: Keeping Scotland Safe and Strong: A consultation on reforming police and fire and rescue services in Scotland, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document | Outline business case | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2011-Sep
A briefing paper examined the way in which children who committed offences were dealt with under the Scottish criminal justice system, focusing on those under the age of 16.
Source: Frazer McCallum, Children and the Scottish Criminal Justice System, Briefing 11/53, Scottish Parliament
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Aug
A think-tank report said that the key to better policing in Scotland was to give every local authority area its own force – contrary to demands to integrate Scotland's 8 police forces into a single entity.
Source: Ben Thomson, Geoff Mawdsley, and Alison Payne, Striking the Balance, Reform Scotland
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2011-Jun
The Scottish Government announced that a commission would be set up to examine the issue of how female offenders were dealt with in the criminal justice system.
Source: Press release 14 June 2011, Scottish Government
Links: Scottish Government press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined the difficulties that arose for probation agencies, or those that delivered community sanctions, in developing and maintaining their credibility. It considered the emergence of an alternative strategy in Scotland – based principally on reparation and 'payback'. Probation agencies and services needed to engage much more deeply and urgently with their roles as justice services, rather than as 'mere' crime-reduction agencies.
Source: Fergus McNeill, 'Probation, credibility and justice', Probation Journal, Volume 58 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
A report examined possible explanations for the significant increase in female imprisonment in Scotland. It considered whether the trend could be attributed to more women getting involved in crime, more serious crimes being committed by women, or changes in prosecution and sentencing patterns.
Source: Gill McIvor and Michele Burman, Understanding the Drivers of Female Imprisonment in Scotland, Report 01/2011, Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research
Links: Report | SCCJR press release
Date: 2011-Mar
The Scottish Parliament approved a Bill designed to set in statute the long-established principle of Scots law that no-one should be tried twice for the same crime.
Source: Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO | Scottish Parliament Debate 22 March 2011, Official Report, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Official Report | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2011-Mar
The Scottish Parliament approved a Bill designed to increase access to justice for victims of domestic abuse, and to enable police and prosecutors to provide a more robust response to breached civil protection orders.
Source: Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO | Scottish Parliament Debate 16 March 2011, Official Report, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Official Report | Glasgow University press release
Date: 2011-Mar
The watchdog in Scotland for the rights of children and young people said that at least 80 – and possibly many more – children might have been trafficked into Scotland in the previous 18 months without a single person being convicted for the crimes. The number of actual referrals of suspected child trafficking cases was only the tip of the iceberg, and many more children might remain unidentified.
Source: Scotland: A Safe Place for Child Traffickers?, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
Links: Report | Appendices | SCCYP press release | SRC press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2011-Mar
The equality and human rights watchdog in Scotland published a study of programmes that specifically set out to challenge and reduce reoffending in relation to hate crime, and to determine what learning could be drawn for future programmes and interventions with offenders.
Source: Paul Iganski and David Smith with others, Rehabilitation of Hate Crime Offenders, Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland
Links: Report | Summary | EHRC press release
Date: 2011-Mar
The Scottish Government began consultation on options for reform of the police service structure in Scotland, including a regional model with fewer police forces.
Source: A Consultation on the Future of Policing in Scotland, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document | Scottish Government press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the role of guidance for practitioners in the evidence-policy-practice relationship through a critical reflection of the process of developing evidence-informed guidance for housing practitioners working in the area of anti-social behaviour in Scotland.
Source: Isobel Anderson, 'Evidence, policy and guidance for practice: a critical reflection on the case of social housing landlords and antisocial behaviour in Scotland', Evidence & Policy, Volume 7 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
A report by a committee of MSPs supported the general principles of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill: but it opposed a proposal to remove the means-testing of anyone applying for civil legal aid to pursue a protective order in a domestic abuse case.
Source: Stage 1 Report on the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill, 1st Report 2011, SP Paper 556, Scottish Parliament Justice Committee
Links: Report
Notes: The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill was introduced in May 2010. It was designed to increase access to justice for victims of domestic abuse, and to enable police and prosecutors to provide a more robust response to breached civil protection orders.
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined the extent of differences in youth justice in the United Kingdom, particularly as expressed in the action plans, criminal justice reviews, frameworks for action, delivery plans, and offending strategies that had been published since 1998 in the four administrations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Source: John Muncie, 'Illusions of difference: comparative youth justice in the devolved United Kingdom', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 51 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
The social work inspectorate for Scotland said that social work services in prisons were not always well integrated with other services or with those in the community. The 'vast majority' of prisoners were not accessing social work support in prison.
Source: Social Work Services in Scotland's Prisons: A national inspection, Social Work Inspection Agency
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2011-Jan
A report by a committee of MSPs said that it supported the general principles of the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Bill (setting in statute the long-established principle of Scots law that no-one should be tried twice for the same crime).
Source: Stage 1 Report on the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Bill, 3rd Report 2011, SP Paper 572, Scottish Parliament Justice Committee
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
