Justice Journeys

Justice Journeys

Experienced voices share their justice journey

The latest piece of research "Rules for Them and Rules for Us" maps the real-life stories of participants against the complexities of the Scottish justice system.

Alongside this, Community Justice Scotland have created a series of illustrations which map four different Justice Journeys: Community Payback Order (CPO), Diversion, Long-term prison sentence and Short-term prison sentence.

We hope that these illustrations will help bring greater understanding of the complexities those involved with the justice system face. A description of the steps contained in the illustration are included below each image for accessibility purposes.

Step-by-step: Community Payback Order

A Community Payback Order (CPO) is a court-issued sentence that can include various requirements. Evidence indicates that community interventions can be more effective at reducing reoffending and assisting with rehabilitation than short-term prison sentences.

Graphic showing pathway through a community payback order in a series of circles with sketched illustrations of people - the text descriptions of those steps are included in the body of the web page

Steps in image:

Crime committed
Crime recorded by police
Marked for court/Court
Not guilty plea
Trial
Guilty verdict
Community Payback Order (CPO)

Step-by-step: Diversion from Prosecution

Diversion from prosecution is a process by which the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) are able to refer a case to social work - and their partners - as a means of addressing the underlying causes of alleged offending when this is deemed the most appropriate course of action.