Scotland’s criminal justice system developed relatively autonomously from that of the rest of the UK following the Act of Union in 1707. Pre-devolution, there was relatively little disruption to the criminal justice system in Scotland arguably because its distinctive underlying principles, such as a prominent welfare-based ethos, were already deeply embedded.
The period following devolution marks one of the most significant periods of change within Scottish criminal justice in terms of both institutional transformation and penal policy development.
The post-devolution period marked one of the most turbulent periods in policing history, with the establishment of a new single police force which was subject to major controversy, intense public scrutiny and political intervention.
According to both police-recorded crime statistics and Scottish crime surveys, there were significant falls in most crime types, but especially crimes of dishonesty and non-sexual crimes of violence.
Scotland had gained a particular reputation for violence so the fall in violent crime was welcome, although it mainly consisted of a drop in serious forms of violence, whereas there is evidence of an increase in low-level petty assault over the same period.
In international terms, trends in violence have seen less consistent patterns of change than for crimes of dishonesty, and while Scotland has seen a drop in violent crime it still tends to be high in comparison to other countries.
