Councils in Scotland have used covert surveillance hundreds of times in the past three years, BBC News revealed this week. Data obtained by BBC Scotland shows that local authorities authorised 501 clandestine investigations, sometimes for relatively minor offences. These investigations, carried out under counter-terrorism laws, were intended to gather evidence [...]

Henry McLeish, former chair of the Scottish Prisons Commission, asked delegates at a recent Holyrood conference to consider an end to six-month custodial sentences in all but the most exceptional circumstances. At the annual female offenders conference earlier in January, McLeish noted that in the category of six months or [...]

According to latest figures obtained by The Times, Police Scotland are using surveillance to intercept 20,000 emails and phone calls every year – the equivalent to 53 a day. The head of the Scottish Parliament's justice committee, Christine Grahame, has warned police that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act should [...]

The Scottish Parliament last week approved plans designed to improve the scrutiny of prisons right across the country, with a new independent monitoring service established to help ensure that all aspects of prisons are fully and independently monitored. Announcing the changes, Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "The previous system for [...]

Changes are to be made to the way community justice services are delivered in Scotland. In response to a consultation, the Scottish government announced this week that it would introduce a new model for community justice. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said that the new approach would "create a stronger community [...]

The number of murder cases in Scotland has dropped to the lowest level on record, a new report showed this week. Homicide in Scotland 2013-14, which is compiled from police figures, reveals that there were 61 homicide victims last year, a decrease from the previous year and the lowest number [...]

The Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) – the national membership body for Scotland's charities and voluntary organisations – is lobbying for drugs laws to be devolved, asking for Scotland to be given the power to decriminalise cannabis. The group has formally asked the Smith Commission, which was set up [...]

Claims are being made that a controversial piece of legislation, originally used to tackle terrorism, is being exploited and misused by local police for petty crimes. The Regulation of Investigatory Power (Scotland) Act (RIPSA), was introduced in 2000 giving the police, security services and HM Revenue & Customs the permission [...]

After the changes made to justice system in Scotland, now is the time to reform "hugely complex" legal aid too, according to a discussion paper published by the Law Society of Scotland. The paper suggests a number of possible reforms, including reducing the eligibility levels for civil legal aid, along [...]

Earlier this month Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced that revenge pornography – sharing sexually explicit material of former partners without their consent – is to become a criminal offence. The new legislation, approved by the House of Lords, will be introduced into the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill and the [...]