Sentencing

The High Court of Justiciary has approved a new sentencing guideline developed by the Scottish Sentencing Council aimed at increasing public knowledge and understanding of the sentencing process in Scotland. The sentencing process guideline sets out an eight-step guide that courts should follow

New research carried out on behalf of the Scottish Sentencing Council has found a lack of awareness over the offences created by the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 and suggests the public should be engaged on the range and scope of sexual offences. The independently conducted research

The Lord Justice General, Lord Carloway has appointed Sheriff Iain Fleming of the sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin to become the new sheriff member on the Scottish Sentencing Council. Sheriff Fleming was appointed as a part-time sheriff in 2005 and as a full-time sheriff in 2014, following a c

Lesley Weber has been appointed to the Scottish Sentencing Council as its new victims expert member. Ms Weber, who is the head of effective practice at the Risk Management Authority (RMA), is a qualified social worker specialising in children and families, domestic abuse and violence against women a

The Scottish Sentencing Council has today published two reports: on sentence discounting and environmental and wildlife crime. Sentence discounting is the term commonly given to the practice of reducing a sentence when an accused pleads guilty. In Scotland, the court is required by law to consider a

The Lord Justice General has appointed Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull and Matt Jackson QC to fill vacant positions on the Scottish Sentencing Council. Sheriff Principal Turnbull replaces Sheriff Principal Ian Abercrombie following his retirement earlier this year. Mr Jackson has been appointed as

Guidance on sentencing young people, with rehabilitation at its heart, has been given strong support by the Faculty of Advocates – but with a warning that the public needs to be assured the aim is not to let offenders go scot-free. The Faculty said in response to a consultation on a draft guid

The high rate of life imprisonment in Scotland is driven by both increased punitiveness and attempts to reduce the risk that serious crime poses to society, according to a new academic paper. More people are serving life sentences in Scotland as a proportion of the national population than in any ot

Members of the public are being invited to give their views on a new sentencing guideline which states that rehabilitation should be a primary consideration when young people are being sentenced. The Scottish Sentencing Council has today launched a 12-week public consultation seeking views on its dr

Sentencing should take account of compelling evidence that the brain does not fully mature until at least the age of 25, according to a review of research undertaken on behalf of the Scottish Sentencing Council. In order to inform its development of a guideline on sentencing young people, the counci

Two new members have been appointed to fill vacant positions on the Scottish Sentencing Council. Dr Hannah Graham has been appointed as a lay member of the council, replacing Professor Neil Hutton. Dr Graham is a senior lecturer in criminology at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research at

A draft guideline on sentencing has been hailed by the Faculty of Advocates as “concise and easy to understand” and a benefit to the public. The sentencing process has been prepared by the Scottish Sentencing Council and aims to set out the various steps taken by judges in making a sente

Fifty-six per cent of people think sentencing in Scotland is too lenient, according to a survey published by the Scottish Sentencing Council. Ipsos MORI conducted a 15-minute telephone survey with 1,000 randomly selected adult residents in Scotland between 13 March to 7 April 2019 on behalf of the c

Members of the public are being invited to give their views on a new sentencing guideline setting out the steps taken by courts in making sentencing decisions, and the factors which may be taken into account. The Scottish Sentencing Council has today launched a 12-week public consultation seeking vi

The Society of Solicitors in the Supreme Courts of Scotland (SSC) is delighted to announce that Esther Roberton, author of Fit For The Future, the report of the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation in Scotland, is to speak at an open meeting on Thursday 16 May. SSC president Douglas Thoms