Statistical Bulletin: Crime and Justice Series: Criminal Appeal Statistics, Scotland: 2008-09
This bulletin presents statistics on criminal appeals concluded in the High Court of Justiciary and includes figures up to 2008-09.
3 Courts of First Instance and Types of Criminal Appeals
Table 1 shows that the number of concluded appeals against decisions of the Justice of the Peace ( JP)/District Courts decreased by 16 per cent (from 214 to 180) between 2007-08 and 2008-09. Over the same period, there were decreases of 5 per cent (from 611 to 578) for the Sheriff Solemn Courts and 6 per cent (from 267 to 252) for the High Court.
However the number of concluded appeals against decisions of the Sheriff Summary Courts increased by 2 per cent (from 1,161 to 1,180).
The percentage of total appeals accounted for by each court type in 2008-09 was similar to the percentage recorded in 2007-08.
Table 1 Criminal appeals by type of court of first instance: 1999-00 to 2008-09
Year |
Number |
Percentage of total |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total (1) |
High |
Sheriff |
Sheriff |
JP/District (2) |
High |
Sheriff |
Sheriff |
JP/District (2) |
|
1999-00 |
3,414 |
348 |
425 |
2,277 |
364 |
10 |
12 |
67 |
11 |
2000-01 |
3,204 |
395 |
461 |
2,103 |
245 |
12 |
14 |
66 |
8 |
2001-02 |
3,249 |
393 |
460 |
2,161 |
235 |
12 |
14 |
67 |
7 |
2002-03 |
2,156 |
420 |
376 |
1,242 |
118 |
19 |
17 |
58 |
5 |
2003-04 |
2,679 |
458 |
481 |
1,548 |
189 |
17 |
18 |
58 |
7 |
2004-05 |
3,152 |
427 |
599 |
1,839 |
287 |
14 |
19 |
58 |
9 |
2005-06 |
2,825 |
437 |
612 |
1,533 |
242 |
15 |
22 |
54 |
9 |
2006-07 |
2,118 |
296 |
499 |
1,158 |
164 |
14 |
24 |
55 |
8 |
2007-08 |
2,254 |
267 |
611 |
1,161 |
214 |
12 |
27 |
52 |
9 |
2008-09 |
2,191 |
252 |
578 |
1,180 |
180 |
12 |
26 |
54 |
8 |
1. Includes appeals where type of court of first instance not known.
2. Includes Stipendiary Magistrates Court.
Table 2 shows increases between 2007-08 and 2008-09 in appeals against conviction: a 12 per cent increase (from 173 to 193) for Solemn conviction and a 15 per cent increase (from 241 to 278) for Summary conviction.
However, there were decreases in appeals against sentence only: an 11 per cent decrease (from 706 to 627) for Solemn sentence only and a 5 per cent decrease (from 1,133 to 1,077) for Summary sentence only.
Summary sentence only appeals accounted for the largest percentage (49 per cent) of the total in 2008-09. However this percentage continued the downward trend of recent years and is the lowest figure recorded in the past ten years.
Table 2 Criminal appeals by type of appeal: 1999-00 to 2008-09
Year |
Number |
Percentage of total |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total (1) |
Solemn |
Solemn |
Summary |
Summary |
Solemn |
Solemn |
Summary |
Summary |
|
1999-00 |
3,414 |
181 |
592 |
382 |
2,257 |
5 |
17 |
11 |
66 |
2000-01 |
3,204 |
163 |
693 |
272 |
2,075 |
5 |
22 |
8 |
65 |
2001-02 |
3,249 |
147 |
706 |
311 |
2,083 |
5 |
22 |
10 |
64 |
2002-03 |
2,156 |
221 |
575 |
215 |
1,145 |
10 |
27 |
10 |
53 |
2003-04 |
2,679 |
187 |
755 |
316 |
1,421 |
7 |
28 |
12 |
53 |
2004-05 |
3,152 |
219 |
807 |
411 |
1,715 |
7 |
26 |
13 |
54 |
2005-06 |
2,825 |
232 |
818 |
315 |
1,460 |
8 |
29 |
11 |
52 |
2006-07 |
2,118 |
160 |
636 |
213 |
1,109 |
8 |
30 |
10 |
52 |
2007-08 |
2,254 |
173 |
706 |
241 |
1,133 |
8 |
31 |
11 |
50 |
2008-09 |
2,191 |
193 |
627 |
278 |
1,077 |
9 |
29 |
13 |
49 |
1. Includes appeals relating to acquittals.
2. Includes appeals against conviction and sentence.
Chart 2 shows that of the 2,191 appeals concluded in 2008-09, 78 per cent related to sentence only, 16 per cent conviction only, and 5 per cent to both conviction and sentence. Other types of appeal, including Extradition Appeals and Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission ( SCCRC) Petitions, accounted for the remaining 1 per cent of appeals.
Chart 2 Criminal appeals by type of appeal: 2008-09
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