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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 26 November 2024
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Displaying 2941 contributions

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Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

Thank you. Russell Findlay is next, to be followed by Fulton MacGregor.

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

Thank you.

I come back to Sarah Ashby. You spoke about having had a more positive experience than some of the other women to whom we have spoken this morning. It sounds as though your positive experience was by virtue of relatively straightforward things, such as communication and being kept informed through phone calls and conversations. That is not exactly rocket science, and it should be quite intuitive in the justice system.

I am interested in your thoughts about how trauma-informed practice should be developed in the justice system. Does it need to be complicated or costly, or is it simply about a culture change so that relatively straightforward measures and tasks are delivered better?

10:30  

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

Jennifer, do you want to comment on that? You do not have to, but I give you the option.

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

Thank you, Sarah. I draw this session to a close. Again, I thank you all very much for your time. Your evidence is very important to us in thinking about the bill, so thank you again for joining us today.

We will have a short suspension to allow for a change of panel.

11:29 Meeting suspended.  

11:37 On resuming—  

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

We will have to close this evidence session shortly, but I want to ask all the witnesses if there is anything else about the bill that you would like to raise with us this morning. I just want to ensure that we have not missed anything that you were keen to share with us.

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

Thank you. You make a really interesting point about having what is almost a debriefing at the end of a trial.

Before I open up questioning to members, I come back to Hannah Stakes to speak about a trauma-informed environment in the court process, in particular, which we have been looking at and taking evidence on.

There are different views on how intimidating that environment can be. For some, as we heard from witnesses on the first panel, the solemnity of the court environment brings a feeling of seriousness to a survivor, in terms of how serious and important their case is.

I am interested in what views you might have about the court environment and how that could be improved. Does it need to be changed or altered, from a victim’s or survivor’s perspective?

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

Carry on.

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

Please be very, very quick.

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

Very finally, I call Fulton MacGregor, if he still wants to come in.

Criminal Justice Committee

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 17 January 2024

Audrey Nicoll

We have definitely run out of time now. I thank all the witnesses for attending. It has been a very worthwhile session.

Next week, we will return to the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill and take evidence from academics—including Cheryl Thomas, whom we referred to earlier—who have conducted research that is relevant to the bill, as well as from representatives of the legal profession.

I propose that we defer item 2 to a future meeting. Do we agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.