Summary criminal cases taking longer to process
Summary criminal cases in the sheriff and justice of the peace courts are taking longer to process, according to new figures released by the Scottish Government.
Written answers by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to parliamentary questions tabled by Conservative spokesperson Margaret Mitchell show an increase in the average time that cases take from start to finish, and that fewer are being completed within target times.
Between April and June this year, the average time to dispose of cases in the JP court and the Glasgow stipendiary court rose from 178 to 189 days, and in the sheriff court from 147 to 157 days.
The proportion of cases dealt with inside the 26 week target (from caution and charge to verdict) fell from 64% to 60% in the JP and stipendiary courts, and from 68% to 66% in the sheriff court. In relation to the 20 week target from first calling to sentence, the JP figure fell from 84.5% to 83.3% and the sheriff court figure from 60.7% to 58.4%.
A year ago, 76% of JP cases and 72% of sheriff court cases were meeting the 26 week target. Scottish Court Service has previously denied that the court closure programme was a factor in the trend.