Sentencing resources

*The following resources are not produced by, nor affiliated to, the Scottish Sentencing Council.  The content and style of external websites may vary.

Official Statistics - Scotland

  • Scottish Crime and Justice Survey - A large-scale social survey which asks people about their experiences and perceptions of crime, produced by the Scottish Government.  Runs biennially.
  • Criminal Proceedings - Summary of offences dealt with by courts, sentencing outcomes and characteristics of convicted offenders. Additional information on non-court penalties issued by the Police and Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service.  Produced by the Scottish Government annually.
  • Homicide in Scotland - statistics on the number of homicide cases recorded in Scotland, where a single case of homicide is counted for each incident involving murder or culpable homicide, irrespective of the number of victims or accused. Victim and accused data are then provided, followed by the circumstances associated with the homicide. Produced by the Scottish Government annually.
  • Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service - The Management Information and Analysis Team at SCTS produces official monthly statistics and provides management information and analysis.
  • Scottish Prison Service - Information on the prison population can be found here as a weekly time series. This shows the population in custody broken down by custody type, gender and age. It also shows the population on home detention curfew by gender.
  • Other official statistics on justice matters can be found at the Law and Order section of Scottish Government's website.

Other resources

  • Sentencing Council - The England and Wales Sentencing Council monitors the operation and effect of its sentencing guidelines, publishes information regarding sentencing practice for the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts, assesses the cost of different sentences and their relative effectiveness in preventing re-offending and publishes resource assessments in respect of any guidelines it produces. The Council also conducts any social research it thinks is necessary in order to take account of the views of judges, magistrates, victims, witnesses and the general public on any new guidelines it is proposing.
  • Crime and Justice - Figures on crime levels and trends for England and Wales based primarily on two sets of statistics: the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and police recorded crime data.  Published by the Office for National Statistics annually.

  • Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research  – This Centre is a collaboration between five Scottish universities and aims to produce research that informs policy and practice, and that advances the understanding of justice. Resources include materials especially designed for schools.