Criminal Justice Committee
The Committee was established in June 2021. It focuses on the Criminal Justice system in Scotland, including:
- Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
- Courts, including the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
- Prosecution and the work of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
- The Scottish Prison Service and community sentencing
Next meeting of the committee
Details of the next meeting are not available yet.
Dates for future meetings
1st Meeting, 2021
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 09:30am
www.scottishparliament.tv
Previous meetings of the committee
Work of the Committee
Current work
Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bil
Access to court transcripts for victims and survivors of rape and sexual offences
Bail and Release from Custody Scotland Bill
Children Care and Justice Scotland Bill
Policing and mental health
Priorities in the justice sector and an Action Plan
Reducing drug deaths in Scotland and tackling problem drug use
Test 1507
Test 2810
Test0808
Test0808
Testing new headers
test info icon
Completed work
Future work
The following has been agreed as the future work of the Committee. It will be updated on a regular basis. It is subject to change.
For further details or questions, please contact the clerks to the Committee.
Wednesday 17 May 2023
- Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill - Stage 2 (Day 2)
Wednesday 24 May 2023
- TBC
Wednesday 31 May 2023
- TBC
The Committee expects to be working on the following bills for the period to May 2023:
- Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill
- Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill
- Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill
Correspondence
Correspondence
Criminal Justice Committee
24 June 2025
Letter from the Minister for Community Safety to the Convener, 23 January 2023
Criminal Justice Committee
Ongoing litigation relating to the acquisition and administration of Rangers Football Club
4 May 2023
Letter from the Solicitor General to the Convener, 4 May 2023
Official Reports of meetings
Official Reports of meetings
Meeting date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Decision on Taking Business in Private
Meeting date: Monday, January 26, 2026
Decision on Taking Business in Private
Meeting date: Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Monday, December 15, 2025
Petitions, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Sunday, December 14, 2025
Dog Fouling, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Friday, December 12, 2025
Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1, Committee Inquiry
Meeting date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Prevention of Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1, Jury Trials
Meeting date: Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Decision on Taking Business in Private
Meeting date: Friday, December 5, 2025
Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill
Reports
Committee reports
Stage 1 Report on the Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill
Published: 23 January 2026
A report by the Criminal Justice Committee on its Stage 1 scrutiny of the Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill.
Inquiry into the harm caused by substance misuse in Scottish Prisons
Published: 16 January 2026
This report presents the findings of the Criminal Justice Committee’s inquiry into substance misuse in Scotland’s prisons, established in response to sustained concern over drug-related deaths in custody, rising health needs among the prison population, and evidence that existing approaches are not adequately reducing harm. Drawing on six formal evidence sessions, 32 written submissions, prison visits, and extensive engagement with people with lived and living experience of imprisonment and addiction, the inquiry adopts an explicitly evidence-based and human-centred approach.The report finds that substance misuse in custody is not an isolated behavioural issue but a manifestation of wider systemic failures across health, social care and justice systems. High levels of trauma, poverty, mental ill-health and unmet clinical need shape both vulnerability to substance use and the prison experience itself. Overcrowding, workforce pressures, inconsistent healthcare provision and limited access to purposeful activity are shown to intensify harm and undermine recovery. The Committee heard compelling evidence that enforcement-led approaches alone are insufficient, particularly given evolving drug supply methods involving synthetic substances, drones and organised crime networks.A strong consensus emerged across witnesses that substance misuse in prisons should be addressed primarily as a public-health issue, requiring parity of healthcare with the community, integrated mental-health and addiction services, trauma-informed practice, and continuity of care on release. The report highlights promising practice in some establishments but identifies unacceptable variation across the prison estate. It concludes that meaningful progress will depend on coordinated reform across justice, health and community systems, with people with lived experience embedded as partners in design, delivery and evaluation of services.
Criminal Justice Committee Report on its Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2026/27
Published: 19 December 2025
A report by the Criminal Justice Committee on its pre-budget scrutiny of the Scottish Government's draft 2026/27 Budget for the criminal justice portfolio.
Committee Remit
To consider and report on matters relating to criminal justice falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, and functions of the Lord Advocate other than as head of the systems of criminal prosecution and investigation of deaths in Scotland.
Current Members
Audrey Nicoll
Convener
Scottish National Party
Liam Kerr
Deputy Convener
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Katy Clark
Member
Scottish Labour
Sharon Dowey
Member
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Jamie Hepburn
Member
Scottish National Party
Fulton MacGregor
Member
Scottish National Party
Rona Mackay
Member
Scottish National Party
Pauline McNeill
Member
Scottish Labour
Full details of committee membership, including substitute and previous members