SNP - Soft On Crime, Soft On The Causes of Crime
'Social Work Diversion'
— joebhoy (@joebhoy1971) July 12, 2023
'Progressive'https://t.co/Wecfeq0TkC
A fellow Twitter user shared this information from Clackmannanshire Council explaining how Scotland's 'Diversion from Prosecution' system works.
The local Procurator Fiscal decides, but there is no information on which categories of crime are deemed suitable for a series of meetings with social work staff.
Quite how the crime of rape falls into this category is anyone's guess.
Diversion from Prosecution
'Diversion from Prosecution' is a scheme which the Procurator Fiscal may use instead of a Court prosecution.
Under the Diversion from Prosecution scheme, the Procurator Fiscal can refer an accused person to the Criminal Justice Service instead of them appearing at Court.
After receiving details from the Procurator Fiscal, a member of Social Work Criminal Justice Service staff will meet the individual and assess whether or not they are suitable for the scheme.
If accepted on the scheme, offenders must attend appointments with staff from Criminal Justice Services. At the appointments, help is given to assist with the issues which may have contributed to offending.
Diversion from prosecution typically last up to three months, or more if appropriate.
Successful completion of this period of time will lead to a recommendation to the Procurator Fiscal that the individual is not prosecuted. Most people who successfully complete their placements are not prosecuted. However, the decision whether or not to prosecute can only be made by the Procurator Fiscal.