Bail Information Scheme
If someone has been arrested and is appearing at court from police custody, the Procurator Fiscal has to decide if he or she would agree to bail being granted. If Bail is opposed (that is, the PF considers that the acccused should be kept in custody while court proceedings go on), the Criminal Justice Social Work Service can assess the accused's situation. If it seems that there would be a reasonable likelihood that supervision by a Social Worker during the period of bail would reduce the risk of re-offending, Bail Supervision may be offered to the court as an option.
In some situations, there is little point in making a Bail assessment. We will not normally do so if the reasons for the PF opposing bail concentrate on:
- the seriousness of the current offence
- a high number of outstanding cases
- a record of not complying with court orders
Whenever possible, we will offer the information in a written report, which will be given to the Sheriff, defence solicitor and PF.
