CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS IN SCOTLAND 2014-15

7. Headlines in court sentencing

(Tables 7 and 8)

The main types of punishment or disposal given to those found guilty in Scottish Courts are custodial sentences, community sentences and financial penalties. Sections 8-9 provide statistics on these types of punishments. In addition, for less serious cases or where it is felt the main punishment types are not suitable, the individual found guilty can be “admonished” (given a verbal warning from the sheriff). A full listing of the range of court disposals is outlined in Annex D.

Of all people convicted during 2014-15:

• Fifty-three per cent were issued financial penalties (56,843);
• Seventeen per cent were issued community sentences (18,519); and
• Thirteen per cent were issued custodial sentences (13,977);

A further sixteen per cent of people were issued other sentences (17,168), which are mostly admonishments.

Chart 7: Sentences imposed, 2005-06 and 2014-15