Justice Social Work Statistics In Scotland: 2022-23

1 Introduction

This publication presents national-level information on justice social work activity in Scotland. It includes data on justice social work services and social work orders, as well as characteristics of the individuals involved.

The nationwide lockdowns and other public health measures put in place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have had an impact on social work activity since March 2020. Caution is advised in comparing activity in years 2020-21 to 2022-23 with previous years.

The number of community payback orders issued in 2022-23 was 14,700, up 20 per cent on 2021-22 but still much lower than any of the pre-pandemic years (Chart 1).

Chart 1: The number of community payback orders issued has risen in the last two years but remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Annual community payback orders issued by courts in Scotland: 2013-14 to 2022-23

Note: Figures in this chart are rounded to the nearest 100.

Key Points

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a substantial impact on justice social work since March 2020, mainly as a result of the national lockdowns and other measures to keep people safe. This has resulted in lower volumes of cases going through courts, particularly in the years 2020-21 and 2021-22 (referred to in this publication as “the pandemic years” or “the two pandemic years”). The last restrictions affecting the delivery of justice social work were removed during year 2022-23. Some caution is advised in interpreting the figures in this publication from 2020-21 onwards, particularly how they compare with earlier years.

• The number of diversion from prosecution cases commenced fell by two per cent between 2021-22 and 2022-23 to 2,600. This was the second highest level in the last ten years.
• There were 1,100 bail supervision cases commenced in 2022-23, the highest in the last ten years.
• The number of criminal justice social work reports submitted (including supplementary reports) rose by 15 per cent between 2021-22 and 2022-23 to 26,400. This was still lower than in the most recent three years prior to the pandemic, which averaged 28,200.
• There were 14,700 community payback orders (CPOs) commenced in 2022-23. This was 20 per cent up on 2021-22 but was the third lowest in the last decade. From 2013-14 to 2019-20, annual numbers ranged from 16,500 to 19,500.
• In 2022-23, for the first time since 2019-20, slightly more CPOs were issued with unpaid work (68 per cent) than supervision requirements (67 per cent). This reflects the reduced Covid-related restrictions in place during 2022-23, meaning it was easier for unpaid work to be delivered.
• The average hours given as part of CPO unpaid work requirements increased from 127 hours in 2018-19 to 131 hours in 2022-23.
• The number of CPOs in existence increased by 17 per cent during 2022-23, from 14,600 at 31 March 2022 to 17,100 at 31 March 2023. This was the third highest figure in ten years.
• The successful completion rate for CPOs terminated in 2022-23 was 73 per cent.
• Since the introduction of CPOs, over 10.6 million hours of unpaid work or other activity have been carried out as part of successful unpaid work requirements.
• There were 1,300 structured deferred sentences imposed in Scotland in 2022-23. This was 42 per cent higher than in 2021-22 and the highest in the last five years.
• There were 1,800 statutory custody and community based throughcare cases commenced in 2022-23. This was higher than both pandemic years but still the third lowest in the last ten years.
• The number of home detention curfew assessment reports completed fell to 730 in 2022-23, the lowest level in the last ten years.