Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2022-23

1. Trends in people proceeded against and convicted

(Tables 1, 2, 4a-c, 5a-c and 6a-c)

Unless otherwise stated, references in this bulletin to the crime or offence group for which a person is proceeded against or convicted relate to the main charge involved. If there are multiple charges libelled on a Complaint or Indictment, and thereafter proven against an accused in a single proceeding, the main charge is the crime or offence receiving the most severe penalty (as defined in Annex C). The final column of Table 4b provides counts of individual crimes or offences with a charge proven regardless of whether or not it was the main crime or offence involved. Please note that where an accused is subject to multiple separate proceedings, that accused is counted multiple times in the figures presented in this bulletin

High-level summary

Court proceedings and convictions

(Tables 1, 2, 4a-c, 5a-c and 6a-c)

Year on year change (2021-22 to 2022-23)

• 79,173 people were proceeded against in court in 2022-23, a rise of 17% on 2021-22 (67,698 proceedings)
• There were 68,067 convictions in 2022-23, an increase of 15% from 2021-22 (59,343 convictions)

Change over the latest 10 years (2013-14 to 2022-23)

• The number of people proceeded against decreased by 35% over the latest ten years, from 121,780 proceedings in 2013-14 to 79,173 proceedings in 2022-23.
• Over the same period, the number of convictions decreased by 36%, from 105,656 convictions in 2013-14 to 68,067 convictions in 2022-23.

Breakdown by gender and age

• In 2022-23 males accounted for 83% (56,375 convictions) of all convictions, a similar proportion as each year in the past ten years (range 82% to 83%). More males than females were convicted in all crime and offence categories.
• In 2022-23, the highest number of convictions per 1,000 population was for the 31 to 40 age group overall (31 per 1,000), the 21 to 30 age group also showing a similar 28 convictions per 1,000 population. In comparison in 2013-14, the age group with the highest numbers of convictions per 1,000 population was those aged 21 to 30, with 52 convictions per 1,000 population.

Key points to note

• The number of people convicted of a main charge of non-sexual violence in 2022-23 was 11,143. This is an increase of 23% on 2021-22 (9,075 people) but a decrease of 16% on 2013-14 (13,226 people).
• Convictions under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which was the only non-sexual crime of violence to increase between 2019-20 and 2020-21, continued to increase in 2022-23 by 11% (up from 690 in 2021-22 to 763).

Chart 2. Over the longer term proceedings and convictions have declined.

People proceeded against and convicted in Scottish courts, 2013-14 to 2022-23.

The rise in the number of convictions between 2021-22 and 2022-23 has been led by an increase in absolute numbers for: Common assault (up 24% to 8,052), Threatening and abusive behaviour (up 16% to 10,573) and Crimes against public justice (up 14% to 9,053). Together these three offence categories represented 40% of convictions in 2021-22 and 41% in 2022-23.

Chart 3. The longer term decline in per capita convictions is driven by a fall in males.

Convictions per 1,000 population in Scottish criminal courts, by sex, 2013-14 to 2022-23.