Statistics on Guilty Pleas by Accused Persons in Criminal Proceedings: FOI release

Information requested

1. The number of guilty pleas made by persons accused of any criminal charge that proceeded to court over the period accompanied by the percentage that number represents of all proceedings taken to court over those same periods;
2. Those above statistics broken down by whether the plea was entered at the first calling, intermediate diet, or trial diet (including the corresponding terms for the High Court of Justiciary);
3. The same statistics broken down by the procedure by which the proceedings were brought (namely, High Court, Sheriff Solemn, Sheriff Summary, Justice of the Peace court);
4. I would also appreciate, if possible, the percentage which guilty pleas make up of all cases where either proceedings are brought in court, or, a prosecutorial sanction, such as a fiscal fine or warning letter, is accepted.

Response

I attach a copy of some of the information you requested in a document.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested about guilty pleas in solemn cases. We don't hold either the specific data to answer your question about the percentage which guilty pleas make up of all cases where either proceedings are brought in court, or, a prosecutorial sanction. We can only provide what is supplied to us for the purposes of updating the information that was in the Criminal Justice Board Management Information System. We are able to provide only information which relates to a criminal accused in all summary cases, sheriff summary courts and Justice of the Peace.

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FOI 202300352445 - Information Released - Tables

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2 page PDF

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129.8 kB