The time for accused people’s cases to get to a verdict in the justice system has fallen for most types of crimes in the last year, new data shows.
Scottish Government analysis looked at the journey time for criminal cases – the period between an offence being committed and a verdict being reached in court.
During 2023/24, journey times for High Court cases fell by 4% to 1,032 days and journey times in sheriff summary cases fell by 18% to 252 days.
Justice of the Peace court cases fell by 6% to 286 days.
However journey times in sheriff solemn cases, which include a jury, increased by 7% to 564 days.
Sexual offences had the longest journey times in the different categories of crime.
The Government’s analysis noted that the prevalence of historic offences among sexual crimes contributed to the longer journey times.
In 2023/24, 19% of all sexual offences which went through the justice system were historic in nature.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “It is encouraging to see that work to address court backlogs is having an impact, helping to reduce the time taken for cases to reach conclusion.
“In the majority of cases journey times have improved, compared to last year. We will continue to focus on reducing times for more serious cases of which, by their very nature, are more complex and take time to process and conclude.
“The Scottish Government has a strong track record on court investment – during the last two years we have invested over £103 million for recovery, renewal and transformation activity.
“The budget for this year protects justice recovery funding, with £42.2 million allocated.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain, who is an MP and former police officer, said: “Last year, the Auditor General warned that it could take until 2026 to clear the backlog of murder and rape cases.
“The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service deserve credit for the work they have done reducing the court backlog, but it is clear that when it comes to the most serious and complex cases there is still much to do.
“The consequences of delays is that everyone suffers: victims, witnesses and those accused.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out common sense policies that will make our communities safer. That means driving down the use of remand and ensuring that both accused and victims get their day in court.”