Making Justice Work for Victims and Witnesses

10 Summary

10.1 The Scottish Government received 77 responses to this consultation; 59 from organisations and 18 from individuals.

10.2 A number of consultees welcomed the opportunity to provide their views on the issued raised in this consultation paper, although some did not provide definitive yes / no responses to specific questions.

10.3 Many consultees welcomed the overall concept of a scheme that helps to improve the experience of victims and witnesses and noted their support for the key proposals outlined in the consultation paper.

10.4 For each of the proposals put forward in this consultation paper, there was majority support from those responding, although a number of consultees opted not to provide a definitive 'yes' or 'no' response. While the numbers responding made it difficult to analyse responses by sub-group, those involved in enforcement often focused on the logistics and enforcement of these proposals. Many of the individuals who responded to this used their own experience to illustrate their response and these often focused on the support needed by victims and witnesses.

10.5 Key themes throughout responses were:

• The need for access to information that is consistent, clear and accessible to all victims and witnesses;
• While there was support for a central hub and information sharing between agencies, there were also concerns over sharing information and the need to take into account data protection issues;
• Logistical issues in relation to administration and enforcement;
• The need to ensure that all agencies involved in this have access to adequate training, support and resources;
• A need to ensure that victims' and witnesses' expectations are managed and that they understand that information they provide is only one element of the process;
• A need to ensure that offenders rights are recognised and that a balance between reparation and rehabilitation is managed effectively.