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International Handbook of Juvenile Justice pp 371–394Cite as

Scotland

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Abstract

The aim of every juvenile justice system should surely be to get it right for every child. It is poignant then that, after a very turbulent period of juvenile justice policy development in Scotland, which threatened to get it wrong for many children, the Scottish system is now predicated on a set of principles enshrined in law that are explicitly known as Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). This chapter provides a brief history of juvenile justice in Scotland before going on to examine the age of criminal responsibility (which currently stands at 8 years) and how this fits with the country’s stance towards the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It then provides an overview of trends in juvenile crime in Scotland, focusing mainly on the last decade, from a range of sources of information. It examines the role played by various agencies in relation to juveniles, including the police, the courts and the prison system, as well as discussing various alternative sanctions. Finally, it discusses some of the main gender differences in juvenile crime and justice system involvement in the Scottish context.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Lay panel members (aged 18–60 years) are recruited from the public, and undergo selection and training processes. They are appointed (or reappointed) for a 3-year period.

  2. 2.

    The process by which powers on devolved matters were transferred from Westminster to Scottish Ministers. For further information on the process of devolution and its implications on Scottish criminal and juvenile justice, see Scott and Mooney (2015) and McVie (forthcoming).

  3. 3.

    Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, ss. 3, 5(3)(b), 5(5)(f).

  4. 4.

    In Scotland, recorded crime is separated (mainly for statistical purposes) into “crimes”—which tend to be more serious criminal acts and “offences” which are generally less serious incidents.

  5. 5.

    Note that although there was a drop in the youth population over the last three decades this does not explain the drop in offence referrals as per capita rates show a similar level of decline (McAra and McVie 2014).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Michele Burman

  2. University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Susan McVie O.B.E., F.R.S.E.

Authors
  1. Michele Burman
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  2. Susan McVie O.B.E., F.R.S.E.
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Correspondence to Michele Burman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

    Scott H Decker

  2. California State University, San Bernardino, California, USA

    Nerea Marteache

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Burman, M., McVie, S. (2017). Scotland. In: Decker, S., Marteache, N. (eds) International Handbook of Juvenile Justice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45090-2_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45090-2_18

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