News
Vision outlined to improve court experience for children & vulnerable witnesses
As part of Evidence &
Procedure Review, the Scottish Courts & Tribunal Service has today
published a
report which outlines measures which could improve the way children and
vulnerable witnesses experience the court process.
These include encouraging and improving the use of taking evidence by a Commissioner (the current system where a child or vulnerable witness can be questioned in advance of trial, under the supervision of a judge) and changes to legislation to shorten the gap between initial interview and further examination. The report also sets out a long term vision based around the Barnahus (Children’s House) model in place in Scandinavian countries - initially for children, but extended later to other vulnerable witnesses. The Barnahus model spares children from repetitive interviews by different agencies in a variety of locations, which can be harmful and confusing, and can damage the quality of their evidence.
New figures from the Scottish Government show record levels of sexual crime
Clear and urgent need to expand prevention work with young people.
· 26% increase in sexual crimes between 2013-14 and 2016-17.
· Rapes in Scotland have risen by 4% in the past year to 1,755, and attempted rapes by 5%.
The Scottish Government has today published statistics on Recorded Crime in Scotland for 2016-17. Although reported crime overall has gone down, sexual crimes continue to rise. Part of the reason for this is a dramatic rise in the number of offences in the ‘Other Sexual Offences’ category, which is one of four categories Police Scotland use to record sexual crimes, and is made up of a wide range of sexual crimes. ‘Other sexual crimes’ accounted for 40% of sexual crimes in 2016-17, ahead of ‘Sexual assault’ (almost 40%) and ‘Rape & attempted rape’ (17%).
A separate report focusing on ‘Other sexual crimes’ and highlighting the significant rise in these between 2013-14 and 2016-17 has also been published to accompany the broader report and to look at this area in more detail. The report highlights the high prevalence of sexual crime being experienced by young women under the age of 16.
Funding to expand services in Orkney and Shetland
Rape crisis services in
Orkney and Shetland will receive an extra £38,000 to increase their staff, the
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has
announced.
Over the course of two days Mr Matheson met with survivors who have been supported by Shetland and Orkney Rape Crisis Centres to discuss the difference that having local advocacy support services has meant for them.
He said:
“Rape Crisis Scotland does incredible work and is literally a life line to those who need their services. I have had the privilege of meeting with people who have been supported by these new services and they cannot speak highly enough of the support they have received from Shetland and Orkney Rape Crisis. That is why I am delighted that we are building on the success of the establishment of these local centers and providing additional funding for each.
Consultation on standards for healthcare & forensic medical services
Are you or is someone you
know a survivor of rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse who would like to
feed into the development of standards being developed
for healthcare and forensic medical services?
This is an important
opportunity to shape a service vital to survivors of sexual violence. Rape
Crisis Scotland will be holding consultation meetings - if you are interested
in taking part in these, please email us at info@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk.
You can take part in the consultation process at https://is.gd/WGZlgY where the draft standards are available to download, and you can give your feedback via an online survey, or by completing a consultation form to return by email or post.
Further information about the consultation process can be obtained from Jim Smith, Project Officer at hcis.standardsandindicators@nhs.net telephone 0141 225 6875.
The consultation closes on Wednesday 13th September 2017.
Public consultation on sentencing
The public is to
have a say in the development of Scotland’s first sentencing
guideline which
will influence the way offenders are sentenced in our courts.
The Scottish Sentencing Council is launching a public consultation on its first draft guideline, which sets out the principles and purposes of sentencing for all offences.
The Council, which
is made up of judicial, legal and lay members,
was set up as an independent advisory body to promote consistency in sentencing
across Scotland. An essential part of its work is to prepare guidelines for the
courts.
Although some relevant guidance already exists in the form of court
decisions in particular cases, this will be the first time that a comprehensive
definition is provided for the principles underlying sentencing decisions and
the purposes they seek to achieve. [Image: Lady Dorrian, the Lord Justice Clerk]
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