Parliament Workbench

Petition · PE01712 · Session 5

Soul and conscience letters

Closed Submitted 26 Oct 2018 Justice
Signatures
0
Comments
0
Considered
4 meetings
in the Official Report

What it asks

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review the use of soul and conscience letters in criminal proceedings and to produce guidance for the courts and GP practices on the use of these letters, including alternatives to court appearances if an accused person is deemed unfit to attend in person.

What the petitioner did first

I have raised my concerns with Margaret Mitchell, MSP.
I have also been in communication with the former Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, Angela Constance MSP, to ask how many accused persons who submit soul and conscience letters are let off going to court to face their punishment for crimes committed.
I have also submitted freedom of information requests to both the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to find out the exact numbers of accused persons in Scotland this relates to. These requests have been rejected.

Where it was considered

Official Report
  1. 6 Dec 2018
    Public Petitions Committee
    New Petitions
    1 mention
  2. 6 Jun 2019
    Public Petitions Committee
    Continued Petitions
    1 mention
  3. 5 Dec 2019
    Public Petitions Committee
    Continued Petitions
    1 mention
  4. 10 Sep 2020
    Public Petitions Committee
    Continued Petitions
    1 mention

Signatures by country

No online signatures are recorded for this petition.

Comments

No public comments.