Law Society hosts roundtable to discuss Scottish criminal justice reform bill

The Law Society of Scotland has hosted a roundtable of key stakeholders to discuss the Scottish Government’s Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Those in attendance at the full-day event on Friday, 8 March 2024 included solicitors and advocates – working both in defence and for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service – along with MSPs, academics, and victims’, women’s and human rights groups. Discussion was conducted under the Chatham House rule.

Many of the attendees have made submissions and given evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee, as the bill progresses towards the Stage 1 debate by MSPs.

Law Society of Scotland President Sheila Webster said: “We’re grateful to everyone who attended for making the time to discuss this important bill for the future of Scotland’s criminal justice system.

“We in the legal profession know there is a lot of room for improvement in our current criminal justice system. The issue rather is what the priorities for improvement should be, and in ensuring that efforts to make the system better don’t instead make it worse.

“The point of this event was not to reach agreement or consensus, but to share information and encourage discussion of the principles and practicalities of this legislation. Nevertheless the conversations revealed there is much that we can agree on in terms of improving the system.

“The Law Society will continue to play a constructive role as this legislation progresses through the parliament, particularly on what we see as the most problematic elements such as juryless rape trials.”

A second roundtable event is planned in the coming months, to further discuss the key elements of the bill and take account of amendments and parliamentary debate.