Justice social work

Court Services

The Criminal Justice Service provides a comprehensive range of court services to the Lerwick Sheriff Court:

• Bail information and supervision
• Provision of information to the Sheriff, when required, in relation to individuals appearing before the court
• Court reports
• Identification of vulnerable individuals who appear before the court, and where necessary, provision of relevant information to receiving prisons
• Pre and post-sentence interviews
• Support, information and guidance to witnesses and families
• Effective liaison with other Court-related agencies

At present, the resident Sheriff alternates weekly between Shetland and Orkney. In the Sheriff’s absence custody cases are dealt with by Honorary Sheriffs. The Court is serviced by a qualified duty court social worker.

Reports to Courts

Reports are requested by the courts to provide information to assist them to make decisions on sentencing. The main type of report provided is the Criminal Justice Social Work Report. This report provides information on:

• Background of the offender
• Analysis of offending behaviour
• Individual’s attitude to the offence committed and to the victim(s) of the offence
• Assessment of risk
• Suitability for community-based disposals, for example, Community Payback Order, Drug Treatment and Testing Order