News

New statistics show survivors are waiting too long for justice

New statistics published by the Scottish Government show that the average time survivors are waiting for justice, from offence to conviction at the High Court, is 1,125 days.

No survivor should ever be left waiting for three years for justice. It’s totally unacceptable that this is now the average wait.

The pandemic significantly lengthened survivors’ journey times through the justice system, but it’s important to remember that survivors were facing very difficult and distressing delays for justice before the pandemic took hold too. We so often hear from survivors about just how difficult it can be to move on with their lives while they are waiting for their cases to reach trial. Recent research also clearly evidences the very serious impact these delays have on the psychological wellbeing of survivors. It couldn’t be clearer that we need to see real action on delays. 

Behind every one of these statistics is an individual who has reported a very serious and distressing crime. It’s very important that nobody, in government or in the justice system, loses sight of that when they talk about the justice system. 

We very much hope that measures in the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill from the Scottish Government, including specialist sexual courts, are passed by Parliament and will contribute to ending these appalling delays for justice and make seeking justice a less difficult process for survivors in Scotland.

If you are, or are considering, going through the justice system, help is available from your local Rape Crisis Centre.