What sort of cases come before a Justice of the Peace court?
Cases which typically come up before the Justice of the Peace courts include motoring offences, breach of the peace, assault, theft and shoplifting. These offences often cause distress or aggravation to local communities. It is crucial that they are dealt with promptly and fairly. The summary justice system comprises all court cases which do not involve a jury and makes up 95% of the criminal cases that go through Scotland’s courts. Justices of the Peace and Sheriffs both deal with summary cases although the Sheriff has greater sentencing powers and deals with the cases which are not heard in the Justice of the Peace courts. Justice of the Peace courts are affected by major changes, which are currently being implemented in Scotland’s summary justice system. A major aim of the changes is to ensure that Justices of the Peace have the skills and training to enable them to hear some of the cases which were previously heard in the Sheriff Courts. This would allow all cases to be heard more
