Criminal Justice

Services available to people involved with Criminal Justice are:

  • Advice, information & assistance to courts, offenders & families
  • Diversion from Prosecution Scheme
  • Probation Order supervision
  • Community Service supervision
  • Attendance Order supervision
  • Fine supervision
  • Services to prisoners & families
  • Parole supervision
  • Risk assessment
  • Victim support

Scottish local authorities have a legal duty to provide criminal justice social work services. The Scottish Executive funds these services through a specific grant annually awarded to local authorities who must work to specific National Standards and Objectives.

 

Criminal Justice Social Workers staff prepare reports for the courts and supervise offenders in the community who are subject to court orders, including prisoners released from prison on licence or parole.

The main aims of this are to:

  • Address offending behaviour
  • Maximise community safety and reduce the use of custody
  • Increase the range of community disposals to reduce re-offending
  • Offer extensive support to offenders, ex-offenders, their families, witnesses and victims.

Social Care run a Diversion from Prosecution Scheme in partnership with the Procurator Fiscal to assess, supervise and assist offenders as an alternative to court proceedings.

Social Care operate a well established Community Service Order Scheme with unpaid work schemes and a supervised Attendance Order Scheme for those who default on fine payments.

These are some of the criminal justice services that we can provide or arrange:

  • Court social work services
  • Court reports, including Social Enquiry and Community Service
  • Youth crime service
  • Diversion from Prosecution Scheme-assessment and supervision
  • Probation Order Supervision
  • Community Service Scheme
  • Fine supervision and a Supervised Attendance Order Scheme
  • Parole, home circumstances reports and pre-release work
  • Post custodial release, license supervision and voluntary after care supervision
  • Services to prisoners and their families

For further information contact our offices at:

91/93 St Olaf Street, Lerwick

Tel: 01595 744446