NEW offences related to misogynistic conduct are set to be created as part of reforms planned by the Scottish Government.
The Vision for Justice Delivery Plan published on Monday sets out a raft of changes to be introduced by March 2026 including a new Misogyny Bill to better protect women and girls from abuse.
Ministers are also planning the continued modernisation of the prison estate – including the opening HMP Highland and starting building work on HMP Glasgow to replace Barlinnie - and a national roll-out of a system to digitally transform how evidence is managed across the justice sector, with the aim of supporting a quicker resolution of cases for victims and witnesses.
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And there are plans to expand the availability of mediations services in civil disputes to save people time, money and stress.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “The reforms are bold and wide-ranging – they include action to better protect women and girls, improve services for children and prevent and reduce crime through early intervention.
“The vision sets out our transformative vision for the justice sector, and this updated delivery plan, which has been approved by our justice partners, shows the significant progress that has been made so far.
“At the heart of all this work is our determination to build a trauma-informed and person-centred justice system in which individuals and communities can trust.”
The Vision for Justice was published back in February 2022 and was designed to be a strategy to modernise, strengthen and improve the justice sector “to ensure it meets the needs of all who use it”.
Since that time, the Scottish Government has introduced the Victims, Witnesses and Criminal Justice Reform Bill which, if passed, will put victims and witnesses at the heart of the system.
Progress since last year has also included the creation of Bairns’ Hoose test sites to ensure a range of trauma-informed support is available to child victims and witnesses of abuse and harm.
Bairn’s Hoose - based on the Barnehus model used in Norway - aims to provide a safe space for young people who have been victims of violent and sexual crimes and will allow victims and witnesses to give pre-recorded evidence, without needing to go to a police station or court.
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