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Justices of the Peace
24/06/2009
Justices of the Peace have served Scotland well for 400 years.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill today praised the role that JPs have played in Scotland's justice system.
Speaking before attending a reception in Edinburgh to recognise the 400th Anniversary of the creation of JPs in Scotland, Mr MacAskill said:
"Justices of the Peace are part of Scotland's heritage. For 400 years the men and women who have held this office have played an important role in our justice system.
"Although their role has changed beyond recognition since their inception in 1609, one key strength in our justice system is the ability to change to reflect society's evolving needs and expectations.
"This has been demonstrated by the JPs commitment and dedication in the face of fundamental changes to lay justice in Scotland.
"Justices of the Peace have served Scotland well for the last four centuries and there is clearly a continuing and growing role for JPs in our justice system."
Johan Findlay, the chairman of the Scottish Justices Association, said:
"Justices in Scotland are delighted that their contribution to lay justice over the last 400 years has been recognised. We are grateful to the Justice Secretary for hosting an event to honour this momentous occasion. "
Significant reforms were brought about by the District Courts (Scotland) Act in 1975 which saw the creation of the district courts and an increase in the jurisdiction of JPs
The Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 2007 brought the biggest changes to lay justice for 30 years. This led to the abolition of the signing justice and JPs agreed to accept new terms of appointment as bench sitting justices. This led to the appointment of around 450 judicial office holders.
To mark that change, the Scottish Government has put a huge amount of work in to recruitment, training and appraisal.
On recruitment we have developed a national campaign which will run again this autumn, with the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland ensuring that the process is both transparent and fair.
Once recruited, new justices need to be trained so we have worked with the Judicial Studies Committee and the sheriffdom Justices Training Committees to draw up a comprehensive training programme that will equip JPs for the tasks that they will face in twenty-first century Scotland.