Vision for Justice in Scotland: measurement framework

We address the on-going impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to renew and transform justice

We continue to renew and transform, drawing on the experience of what worked during the pandemic to improve efficiency and deliver better outcomes for individuals

In 2022/23, the median time from offence to verdict for accused in all crime groups was 35 months in High Court, 17 months in Sheriff solemn court, 10 months in Sheriff summary court and 10 months in the Justice of the Peace court.

New statistics published presents new information on the time taken from offence date to verdict for persons accused of criminal charges. Figures are based on data supplied by SCTS. Datasets consist of management information derived from live operational databases and as such may be subject to minor changes over time.

Source: Journey times in the Scottish Criminal Justice System: 2022 to 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

People experience fewer delays and upheaval as a consequence of COVID-19

Since January 2022 the number of scheduled trials (as a proxy for the court backlog) had fallen by nearly 16,000 (-15,754 or -36%) by August 2023.

Source: SCTS MI