Access to justice

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Access to justice

The proportion of adults who are confident that the Scottish Criminal Justice System, as a whole, makes sure everyone has access to the justice system if they need it. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of adults who were confident that the Scottish Justice System makes sure everyone has access to the Justice System if they need it was 75% in 2019/20, consistent with 2018/19 (76%) and increased since 2008/09 (70%).

In 2019/20, confidence that the Scottish Justice System makes sure everyone has access to the Justice System if they need it was:

highest for youngest people (84% of 16-24, compared to 76% of 25-44 and 45-59, and 70% of people aged 60 and over)
not statistically significantly different between men and women
lower for adults living in the 15% most deprived areas than for those living elsewhere in Scotland (70% compared to 76%)
lower for adults who had a disability than for those who did not have a disability (71% compared to 76%)
not statistically significantly different by urban/rural location
not statistically significantly different between victims of SCJS crime and non-victims

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, disability, urban/rural location and victim status. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

To support social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection for the 2020/21 SCJS did not start as face-to-face, in-home interviews were not possible. Due to this there was no 2020/21 SCJS publication.

The SCJS restarted in November 2021 with a more resilient and flexible 2021/22 survey design. The 2021/22 SCJS has undergone significant development to enable the continuation of data collection during the pandemic. Therefore, although a central aim, it may not be possible to compare 2021/22 results to the SCJS time series. The results of the 2021/22 SCJS are expected to be published in mid-2023 when, in preparation for which, it will be determined if it is possible to update this indicator.