Justice Social Work Statistics in Scotland: 2023-24 – Part 1

Annex A Data and Methodology

The annual aggregate justice social work return for local authority justice social work services was introduced for year 1999-2000. It covered justice social work reports (as they are now known), community service orders and probation orders. The content and format of the return has changed over time. This is to reflect new developments and an increasing demand for information, as well as to clarify points of definition in relation to particular data items. Additional items (and their years of introduction) include:

• throughcare (statutory post release supervision) (2001-02)
• diversion from prosecution (2001-02)
• bail information and supervision (2003-04, new information added 2022-23)
• voluntary throughcare (2004-05)
• court-based services (2004-05)
• throughcare addiction service (2005-06, removed from 2015-16 onward)
• fiscal work orders (2015-16)
• structured deferred sentences (2018-19).

Figures in this publication are extracted from live justice social work information management systems. The statistics presented for the most recent year reflect information on activity in the financial year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. Figures for earlier years may differ slightly from those published previously – see later in this Annex for examples of revisions.

The data obtained from local authorities comes from recording systems which are used for case management and for internal monitoring. Information on personal characteristics such as gender and ethnicity are taken directly from these systems. While recording practices may vary across local authorities, it is likely that the recording of gender and ethnicity will include a mixture of self-identified values and values as perceived by the justice professional recording the information, for example a case worker.

Administrative data will always be subject to some degree of error that arises in any large-scale recording system. The data in this publication has, however, been quality assured as far as practicable. This is done through a series of validation processes before publication. As a result, the data is considered of good quality.

The aggregate return includes electronic checks to notify local authorities of inconsistencies within the data. Where there have been big changes since the previous year, the local authority is asked to confirm the figures are correct. The scope of these queries was expanded in 2023-24 resulting in more figures being checked. Once data returns from all authorities were in, some further analysis was carried out. This helped to detect any major changes to figures over recent time periods.

In a small number of instances, it can be discovered after their original publication, that some figures, previously provided by data suppliers, require revision. The mechanism for revising these is dependent on a number of factors such as:

• The importance of the statistic
• The size of the change
• The consequences of the change.

Each revision is considered on a case-to-case basis on the above factors. If a revision is required, the report and the table(s) referred to in the report are corrected via new versions being put on the website to replace the original versions. Otherwise, data is corrected in the next publication. Such revisions are flagged up in the footnotes to the tables (and text if appropriate). They are no longer highlighted in any future years’ publications thereafter.

Unlike the report and the tables referred to in the report, the live (mainly local authority level) tables on the Scottish Government justice social work statistics website, are usually updated as soon as an error becomes apparent.

In some parts of this publication, ratios are calculated per 10,000 people aged 16 to 70 in the Scottish population. The population numbers used in these calculations are mid-year estimates for the appropriate year, published on the National Records of Scotland website. For example, a ratio for the 2022-23 data would be calculated using the mid-year population estimates at 30 June 2022. In July 2024, the mid-year estimates for the years 2011 to 2021 were revised following Scotland's Census 2022. These revised figures have been used in this publication. The population estimates used for 2023-24 were those at 30 June 2022, as estimates at 30 June 2023 were not available at the time of publishing this data.

There are additional justice social work datasets at local authority level on the Scottish Government website, and also on the Scottish Government's open data platform.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland have different judicial systems. This makes comparing information on justice social work statistics unfeasible. Statistical information on their judicial systems can be found at:

• England and Wales: Statistics at Ministry of Justice
• Northern Ireland: Department of Justice

There are a range of other statistics on the Scottish judicial system:

• Scottish Government Crime and Justice Statistics
• Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service – Official Statistics
• Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service - Publications
• Scottish Prison Service - Information