Courts in Scotland

In Scotland the High Court of Justiciary tries such crimes as mur­der, treason and rape; the sheriff court is concerned with less serious of­fences and the district court with minor offences. Criminal cases are heard either under solemn procedure, when proceedings are taken on indictment and the judge sits with a jury of 15 members, or under sum­mary procedure, when the judge sits without a jury. All cases in the High Court and the more serious ones in sheriff courts are tried by a judge and jury. Summary procedure is used in the less serious cases in the sheriff courts, and in all cases in the district courts. District courts are the administrative responsibility of the district and the islands local government authorities; the judges are lay justices of the peace and the local authorities may appoint up to one quarter of their elected mem­bers to be ex officio justices. In Glasgow there are four stipendiary magistrates who are full-time salaried lawyers and have equivalent criminal jurisdiction to a sheriff sitting under summary procedure. Children under 16 who have committed an offence or are for other rea­sons specified in statute considered to need compulsory care may be brought before a children's hearing comprising three members of the local community.