Society welcomes criminal justice disability report

The Law Society of Scotland has welcomed publication of the final report of the Criminal Justice Disability Project.

The project brought together organisations from across the justice sector to consider concerns issues raised in the reports Hidden in Plain Sight, Out in the Open (both Equality & Human Rights Commission) and the Justice Steering Group report 2009, and examine how these could be implemented across criminal justice organisations.

Examining 76 recommendations to promote and enable accessibility of service across the criminal justice sector in Scotland for people with disabilities, the project developed new products, facilities and services. Its final report (click here to access) records that 65 of the recommendations "were either fully addressed or were progressed to a point where further implementation would be monitored via individual organisations". The remaining 11 were judged to be outwith the scope of the project.

Alison Atack, President of the Law Society of Scotland – one of eight organisations that took part in the project – commented: "Our justice system must be accessible to everyone in Scotland, and a project that looks to improve the experience of people with disabilities in the criminal justice system helps to achieve this crucial goal.

"Across the wide range of recommendations, tangible outcomes have been delivered in areas such as awareness of hate crime, identifying premises’ physical barriers to access, improving the language and accessibility of correspondence and other materials, juror participation, training and sharing of best practice across the criminal justice system.

"As our justice system uses technology to a greater degree in the years ahead, there will be a range of new opportunities to improve accessibility. The collaborative approach taken by this project will provide an excellent foundation for this continuing work."

The project also included representatives from Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), Police Scotland, Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service, Scottish Government, Scottish Legal Aid Board, Scottish Prison Service and the Equality & Human Rights Commission.