Labour vows to ‘strengthen justice system’ as majority of abusers avoid prison

Scottish Labour has pledged to “strengthen the justice system” as figures show the majority of domestic abusers convicted in 2023-24 avoided prison.

Figures released in December show 453 of the 897 people convicted under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act were given a community payback order, while just 162 were handed a custodial sentence.

That figure included 33 people given an extended sentence – usually given to more serious offenders and includes a period of supervision after release.

Another 61 received an admonition from the judge in their case and 18 suffered no punishment, an overview of sentencing outcomes shows.

While sentencing is the responsibility of independent judges in Scotland, Scottish Labour justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill accused the Government of having “no plan” to deal with increasing reports of domestic violence.

“The SNP’s soft touch approach to justice is allowing abusers to dodge jail and avoid rehabilitation,” she said.

“The truth is too many offenders face no real consequences under the SNP.

“Scottish Labour is ready to strengthen our justice system so it can tackle the rising tide of violence against women and ensure all of our public services are working to prevent crime and stop misogynistic attitudes taking hold.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “Domestic abuse is abhorrent and has a devastating impact on those affected.

“To eradicate violence against women and children, our draft Budget for 2026-27 allocates £21.6 million for the delivering equally safe fund, supporting 115 projects across Scotland.

“It is also vital that women and children have access to frontline services dealing with violence and domestic abuse – that is why we are also investing £12 million between 2025-27 for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence.”