Criminal proceedings in Scotland 2016-17: statistics

Statistics on criminal proceedings concluded in Scottish courts and alternatives to prosecution, issued by the police and by the Crown Office.

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Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2016-17

This bulletin forms part of the Scottish Government series of statistical bulletins on the criminal justice system. Statistics are presented on criminal proceedings concluded in Scottish courts and on a range of measures available as alternatives to prosecution, which are issued by the police and by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Detailed figures for 2016-17 are presented, along with selected trends for the last ten years.

Further detailed tables are published as background statistics on the Scottish Government Crime and Justice Statistics website.

A total of 107,338 people were proceeded against in court in 2016-17, a fall of eight per cent on 2015-16 (116,833 proceedings). The number of convictions fell at a similar rate, down eight per cent to 92,334 from 2015-16 (99,962). This continues the general downward trend of the last ten years with the exception of the short term rise in court activity between 2012-13 and 2014-15. Convictions in 2016-17 were around 31% lower than the ten-year high of 133,608 in 2007-08.

Chart 1: Number people proceeded against and those convicted

Chart 1: Number people proceeded against and those convicted

Infographic showing highlights of main trends

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