Remand

The longest periods prisoners in Scotland have spent on remand continue to increase, new figures show. While median time on remand before departure remained at 21 days in 2022-23, the longest periods spent on remand have risen significantly. In 2017-18, 90 per cent of remand departures had occurred

Calls have been made for greater use of electronic monitoring for people on bail. There were 2,200 people in prison on remand awaiting trial on 1 November in Scotland – almost a third of the total number in jail. And there has been a significant increase in the time people are having to spend

Black defendants are detained on remand for more than 70 per cent longer than white individuals in England and Wales, data highlighting racial disparities in the criminal justice system shows. Information acquired by The Guardian and Liberty Investigates under the Freedom of Information Act reveal t

The Law Society of Scotland has given broad support for proposed changes to bail and release from custody arrangements, but remains deeply concerned at the high number of accused people being held on remand when charged but not convicted of a crime. The society recently submitted its response on the

The remand rate has almost doubled since April 2020, analysis by the justice affairs magazine 1919 shows. Last month, 2,164 inmates were on remand, among them 303 who were convicted but awaiting sentence, bringing the total remand population to 29 per cent.

MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee are to examine plans put forward by the Scottish government which would overhaul systems in place around the release of prisoners and use of bail by courts. The new Bail and Release from Custody Bill, which the government hopes will

The Law Society of Scotland has welcomed the introduction of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill. The legislation, which is in two parts, makes changes to current law relating to bail and to the arrangements for the release of some prisoners and the support provided.

New legislation which proposes changes to the way imprisonment is used in Scotland has been published. The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill will refocus the way remand is used, with an emphasis on remand being reserved for those who pose a risk to public safety, or those who wilfully fa

Alternatives to remand are to be boosted with £3.2 million of funding for community justice services. The funding, which will go to all local authorities, aims to enhance bail assessment and supervision.

Rising remand periods could fall foul of the European Convention on Human Rights, MSPs have heard. The prison population on remand in Scotland has gone from 16 per cent to 27 per cent – an increase described as “unfathomable” by Emma Jardine of Howard League Scotland.

Around 1,600 suspects have been held on remand for over a year awaiting delayed Crown Court trials in England and Wales amid an enormous backlog which a £40 million cash injection has failed to resolve, according to reports. There are 40,000 cases waiting to be heard in the Crown Court –

The number of remand prisoners has increased by more than a third over the course of the pandemic due to delays in criminal trials, Howard League Scotland has warned. It said the population was 1,293 in February 2020 but rose to 1,753 by April this year. This represents an increase of 35.5 per cent

Prisoners on remand are pleading guilty in order to avoid spending up to two years in custody, The Times reports. A backlog of tens of thousands of cases has accumulated since the first lockdown began last March. This has led to a significant increase in the remand population.

The time suspects charged with serious crimes can be held in custody before being brought to trial has been extended in England by nearly a third, from 182 to 238 days. The controversial change was announced by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC under "temporary legislation".

Exploratory research into the reasons behind decisions on bail and remand has been commissioned to support work to reduce the number of people on pre-trial and pre-sentencing remand in the prison system. Scotland has the highest prison population per head in western Europe and approximately one in f