Judiciary of Scotland announces new SSDG initiative to improve court safety

Article summary

The Judiciary of Scotland has announced a cross–justice initiative in South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway (SSDG) that commenced on 20 January 2021, to aid the improvement of court safety and sufficiency. The initiative delegates criminal justice and good behaviour reports that are provided by the local authority social network departments as well as the Crown 48 hours in advance of called cases. This has saved time consumption by all parties involved and solicitors are briefed earlier with the reports so that clients are given instructions prior to their arrival at court. Advanced reporting has also eased deferred sentences being dealt with ‘efficiently and conveniently’. The hearings that are dealt with administratively by a Sheriff, allows them to ‘consider the matter in chambers in advance of the diet and admonish or fix a further diet/review administratively without the need for the accused, prosecution or defence to attend’. Since the initiative was formed, over 200 cases have been...