Question reference: S6W-01767
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 22 July 2021
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Current status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 4 August 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all victims of crime are notified of a decision not to prosecute their case or to discontinue prosecution.
Answer
The Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) proactively notifies victims of decisions not to prosecute in all solemn cases and all summary cases within the specified case remit of the COPFS Victim Information and Advice (VIA) service, including Domestic Abuse and Hate Crime. COPFS proactively notifies victims of decisions to discontinue prosecutions in all categories of cases. COPFS advises all victims of all decisions not to prosecute on request.
COPFS is exploring possible approaches to extending the current notification scheme to all relevant summary cases, including possible IT solutions.