Criminal proceedings in Scotland: 2018-2019

Statistics are presented on criminal proceedings concluded in Scottish courts and on a range of measures available as alternatives to prosecution, which are issued by the police and by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.


Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2018-19

This bulletin forms part of the Scottish Government series of statistical bulletins on the criminal justice system. Statistics are presented on criminal proceedings concluded in Scottish courts and on a range of measures available as alternatives to prosecution, which are issued by the police and by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Detailed figures for 2018-19 are presented, along with selected trends for the last ten years.

Further detailed tables are published as background statistics on the Scottish Government Crime and Justice Statistics website.

A total of 89,733 people were proceeded against in Scottish criminal courts in
2018-19, a fall of 6% on 2017-18 (95,557 proceedings). The number of convictions fell at the same rate (6%) down to 78,503 in 2018-19 (from 83,179 in 2017-18). This continues the general downward trend of the last ten years with the exception of a short term rise in court activity between 2012-13 and 2014-15 (Chart 1). Convictions in 2018-19 were 35% lower than the ten-year high of 121,041 in
2009-10.

Chart 1: Number of people proceeded against and those convicted
Chart 1: Number of people proceeded against and those convicted

Contact

Email: peter.malek@gov.scot

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