Sheriff Court
The majority of cases are dealt with in Scotland’s Sheriff Courts. In solemn procedure, criminal cases are heard by a Sheriff and jury.
Scotland is split into six Sheriffdoms, each of which has a Sheriff Principal that has responsibility for courts within that Sheriffdom. These Sheriffdoms are:
- Glasgow and Strathkelvin
- Grampian, Highland and Islands
- Lothian and Borders
- North Strathclyde
- South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway
- Tayside, Central and Fife
More information is available here.
The most recent data shows that in 2024/5 in Sheriff Court solemn business there were:
- 9,941 petitions registered, this is an 11% decrease from 2023/4 (11,128)
- 7,164 indictments registered in 2024/25, this is a decrease of 3% from 7,384 registered in 2023/4
- 1,004 trials scheduled as at the end of 2024/5, a decrease of 41% when compared with the volume scheduled as at the end of 2023/4 (1,709).
- In 2024/25, the volume of evidence led trials (1,231) has decreased by 3% from 2023/24 (1,275).
You can find more information here.
Practice Notes are issued by the Lord Justice General, Scotland’s most senior judge, in respect of criminal courts. They inform practitioners of the practice that the court expects them to take. These practice notes can be found here.
Scottish Court and Tribunal Service publications, including Corporate, Court and Court Users and People documents are available here for further information.