Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025

An Act of the Scottish Parliament to establish a Victims and Witnesses Commissioner for Scotland; to make provision for the investigation and prosecution of crime, and the conduct and scheduling of criminal and civil proceedings, to be done in a trauma-informed way; to make provision about the rights of victims to receive information, give views, and be referred to victim support services; to make provision about the release of prisoners; to make provision for special measures for vulnerable witnesses and vulnerable parties in civil proceedings, including the special measure of prohibiting the personal conduct of certain cases; to abolish the not proven verdict and to make provision about the size of juries in criminal trials and the number of jurors needed to deliver guilty verdicts; to establish a new court to try persons accused of certain sexual offences; to make provision about special measures for vulnerable witnesses in certain criminal cases; to provide for anonymity for victims of certain sexual offences; to provide for complainers’ legal representatives to be heard in relation to applications to admit certain evidence in sexual offences cases; to make provision about non-harassment orders; to make provision about the enforcement of protective orders made outwith Scotland; and for connected purposes.