Following the aftermath of the pandemic, the Scottish Courts have suffered a huge backlog of cases, which in turn had led to a significant increase in the amount of time taken for the conclusion of cases.

 In 2023-24, the percentage of accused whose cases were closed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) or who received verdicts within a year increased compared to 2022-23. Median journey times for accused marked “No action” by COPFS were 28 days longer than for those given direct measures like fines. Journey times were longer for solemn cases than for summary cases, with High Court cases taking about 2 years 10 months and Sheriff solemn cases taking 1 year 7 months, compared to 8 months in Sheriff summary and 9 months in JP courts.

 Overall, median journey times decreased compared to 2022-23 by 44 days in High Court, 54 days in Sheriff summary court, and 17 days in JP court. However, Sheriff solemn court times increased by 35 days. Cases with non-appearance warrants had journey times about 8 months longer than those without.

 In solemn courts, the main delays were from COPFS report to court registration, which increased by 14% in High Court and 11% in Sheriff solemn court. Court registration to verdict time remained stable in High Court and decreased by 9% in Sheriff solemn court. In summary courts, the main delay was from court registration to verdict, taking about 4 months.

 Accused persons charged with sexual crimes in High Court had the longest journey times. Non-historic sexual offences had a median time of about 3 years, while historic sexual offences had a median time of just over 11 years, down by 2 years from 2022-23, mainly due to delayed reporting.

 For other crime groups, median journey times increased in solemn procedures but decreased in summary procedures. The longest times were for crimes like rape, dangerous driving causing death, fraud, arson, and drug supply. Most crime types saw decreased journey times in 2023-24, except for non-historic sexual assault, indecent photos of children, threatening or disclosing intimate images, murder and culpable homicide, historic domestic abuse, and theft from motor vehicles, which all saw increases.