The roll out of a case management initiative to all Sheriff Courts in Scotland has been instrumental in reducing the number of scheduled trials. It has also led to a significant reduction in unnecessary witness attendance and police witness citations, delivering clear benefits for victims and witnesses.

A new report  published today concludes the national roll out of Summary Case Management (SCM), following a successful pilot, which has laid a strong foundation for long-term reform of Scotland’s summary justice system. 
It is estimated that over 100,000 fewer police officers were cited to give evidence during the period of the national rollout of SCM. Approximately 3000 fewer child witnesses were cited, representing a reduction of 40% in the same period.
The report reveals there has been a 47% reduction in first witness citations and re-citations are down 59%, compared to September 2022.

In addition, more trials now proceed on the scheduled day, with fewer adjournments to new trial diets. The percentage of adjourned trials has fallen from 40% to 27%. This reflects the benefits of earlier disclosure, focused preparation and purposeful judicial case management under SCM.

Figures recently published by SCTS show the number of scheduled trials in Summary Sheriff Courts across Scotland has fallen to 9,000 from over 30,000 during the pandemic. Domestic abuse trials showed an equally marked improvement, falling from a peak of 7,685 to 2,005 (a 74% reduction) and now sitting 30% below the historic baseline of 2,978.

The remarkable results from the Summary Case Management initiative comes at a time when courts, in particular the High Court, are under significant pressure due to a substantial increase in cases coming through the system. SCTS modelling predicts this is only going to increase over the next few years.

Sheriff Principal Aisha Anwar KC (Hon) said “The key to success of the rollout lies firmly in collaboration at a local and national level.  It has been a pleasure to work with so many willing partners across the justice sector to deliver a shared vision of a modern summary criminal justice system.

“SCM does not simply represent an efficiency gain.  It represents a change of culture.  Early communication, meaningful engagement between prosecution and defence and proactive judicial case management have replaced delay and uncertainty. It is a significant improvement in how justice is delivered in the summary criminal courts.  

“Looking ahead, the challenge for all is to ensure that SCM becomes, and remains, business as usual."

Historically, the summary criminal justice system faced persistent challenges which included late guilty pleas, frequent adjournments, and a high volume of unnecessary trials.  These inefficiencies placed significant strain on court resources, increased costs, and caused disruption for complainers, witnesses and the accused.

Summary Case Management was developed to address these longstanding issues. Its core principles include early disclosure of evidential material to the defence, early and meaningful engagement between Crown and defence, and early judicial case management to ensure cases progress efficiently.  In practice, this means that prosecution and defence engage early to explore resolution and identify key issues, digital platforms are used to share evidence effectively, and case management hearings provide a forum for proactive judicial oversight to monitor progress and minimise delay.

Justice Secretary Neil Gray said:  “This report shows that more victims, including those who have experienced domestic abuse, are receiving justice quicker as a result of Summary Case Management. By reducing unnecessary trials and resolving cases earlier, it is freeing up time for police officers and the courts, and sparing victims and witnesses from having to appear in court to give evidence.
“I welcome the national roll-out of Summary Case Management, supported by the Scottish Government’s world-leading Digital Evidence Sharing Capability programme, which enables digital sharing of evidence from crime scene to courtroom, bringing cases to conclusion more quickly.”

Lindsey Miller, Legal Director, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “Figures on the dramatic reduction in the numbers being asked to attend court, and in the volume of scheduled trials, demonstrate the impact of early engagement and resolution. The reforms show what can be achieved when we deliver a shared vision.   

 “Together, we have radically transformed the service we provide to the public, with the management of cases focusing on reducing disruption to the lives of victims and witnesses of crime. 

 “As a national model, this is informing how we continue to make sustained, real change to support effective case management at every level, placing people affected by crime at the centre of our thinking.”  

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said: “As criminal justice partners we have a shared objective and responsibility to ensure the interests of victims, witnesses and accused persons are best served. 

“Summary case management demonstrates what can be achieved when justice partners work collaboratively to provide an efficient and effective justice system. 
“Disclosure of evidence earlier in the criminal justice process has reduced delays, ensured early resolution, and delivered positive outcomes for all those involved in the criminal justice system. 

“It has also significantly reduced the number of police officers cited for court, meaning officers are not abstracted from front line policing and instead remain within local communities. 

“We are grateful for the leadership and collaboration from all partners, and we will continue to work in partnership to ensure the continuous improvement of summary case management in Scotland.” 

Background

The Summary Case Management (SCM) pilot programme was designed by Sheriff Principal Anwar K.C. in close collaboration with all justice partners.  The pilot launched in September 2022. While SCM applied to all summary cases, the pilot placed particular emphasis on domestic abuse cases.

The pilot commenced in Dundee, Hamilton and Paisley Sheriff Courts for all sheriff summary cases.  In 2024, the pilot was extended to Glasgow and Perth Sheriff Courts for domestic abuse cases only. The pilot ran for 19 months, providing sufficient time to test processes and gather meaningful data.

Following the 19-month pilot period, a full evaluation was conducted, and the SCM Pilot Final Evaluation Report was published in September 2024, recommending the pilot be rolled out nationally.

The national rollout of SCM built on pilot success to deliver a phased, digitally enabled model across all Sheriff Courts. Schedule 1 of Practice Note No 1 of 2025 established a phased, sheriffdom-by sheriffdom rollout of SCM, beginning in January 2025 in the Sheriffdom of Glasgow & Strathkelvin with the rollout to non-domestic cases. The rollout was supported and led locally by each Sheriff Principal. By January 2026, each sheriffdom had fully implemented SCM across all summary business.