Almost a third of rejected fiscal fines saw no further action, figures show
The fines are offered to those accused of minor crimes (Jane Barlow/PA)
Nearly one third of all fiscal fines handed out by prosecutors that were rejected resulted in no further action, new figures show.
Fiscal fines can be imposed on people charged with minor offences – usually in amounts smaller than £300 – but do not constitute an admission of guilt and are not recorded as a conviction.
However, the accused can reject the offer of a fine in favour of prosecution.
In the past three years, 30% of rejected offers of fiscal fines have resulted in no further action from prosecutors, a freedom of information request from the Scottish Conservatives has found.
Shocking : One in three who refuse to pay fine in Scotland escape prosecution heraldscotland.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heraldscotland.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Scottish Government not meeting community justice target, says watchdog
The proportion of community sentences used has stagnated in Scotland in recent years (Danny Lawson/PA)
A Scottish Government pledge on community justice has not been achieved, Audit Scotland has said.
Ministers have long sought to shift the balance of criminal justice away from incarceration and increase the use of community sentences such as community payback orders, drug programmes or electronic monitoring.
Scotland has one of the highest incarceration rates of any country in Western Europe, despite a presumption against short sentences being put in place by the Scottish Government in an attempt to dissuade judges from handing out jail periods of less than 12 months.
Balancing Peace and Justice: Interview with President Juan Manuel Santos
10.May.2021 9:00 AM . 15 min read
President Juan Manuel Santos served as President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. For his work negotiating a peace agreement with The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), he was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. Prior to his presidency, Santos served as Colombia’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Finance and Public Credit, and Minister of National Defense. Before his political career, Santos was a journalist with El Tiempo and was a Nieman Fellow. He also served previously as the Head of the Colombian Delegation to the International Coffee Organization.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said his party would introduce 16 Bills at Holyrood (Jane Barlow/PA)
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Legislation to introduce a “right to rehab” for those struggling with drink or drugs has been included in over a dozen new bills the Scottish Conservatives want to try to get through Holyrood.
Douglas Ross said his party wanted to introduce 16 Bills to the Scottish Parliament after what he said was their “best ever” Holyrood election result.