Plans for justice in an independent Scotland, set out in the latest white paper

THE Scottish Government has launched its latest white paper in the Building a New Scotland series, which sets out the intended approach to the legal system in the event of independence.

Independence would allow Scotland to make its own decisions to tackle issues such as drugs and gambling, and increase cooperation with international justice partners, the Justice In An Independent Scotland article said.

It is the thirteenth article in the series and outlines how Scotland, through membership of the EU, the Council of Europe, the United Nations and Interpol, could play a ‘full role’ in tackling global issues including cross-border crime, serious organized crime and cybercrime. -crime.

The document includes proposals to restore police and prosecutors’ access to measures such as the cross-border European arrest warrant, which were lost after Brexit.

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In addition, it sets out plans to fully incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) into Scottish law to further strengthen children’s rights, and sets out a framework for human rights law to protect fundamental freedoms and promote, including in the European Union. Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The Scottish Government is also looking to take its public health approach to violence reduction into the currently reserved areas of drug policy reform and gambling.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said that while recorded crime has fallen to a near 50-year low, Scotland could do much more with independence.

She said: “Scotland’s police and prosecutors would regain access to tools to prosecute criminals across borders that were lost after Brexit, such as the Schengen Information System and the European Arrest Warrant.

“These are essential for tackling sophisticated criminal networks and helping victims get justice, even if the perpetrator lives outside Scotland.

“With the power to make our own decisions, we could also improve and further entrench our public health approach to justice issues, extending this to addictions such as drugs and gambling.

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“This would enable future governments to consider measures that would better meet the specific needs and circumstances of people in our communities, such as safer drug use facilities, raising the legal age for gambling and strengthening firearms licensing.

“Combined with the wider economic, employment and social security powers that would come with independence – as set out in the Building a New Scotland series – we could take a more effective approach to improving justice outcomes, reducing the burden on the justice system and further reduce the number of crime victims.”

The Scottish legal system already has its own courts, tribunals, judiciary, Crown Prosecution Service, police, prisons, fire and rescue services and other judicial authorities, as well as its own legal profession.

Scotland’s distinctive character as a legal jurisdiction long predates devolution and was preserved in the Acts of Union of 1707, but the document sets out the full range of benefits that independence could bring.

To read the full document, click here.