Conference notes the progress made by Liberal Democrats in Government in Scotland in implementing the Scottish Strategy for Victims, introducing the Victim Notification Scheme, and increasing both the funding available to victims of crime and the rights they have.

Conference further notes that it is vital that victims are properly supported throughout the court process.
Conference calls on the Scottish Government to:

Prosecution

1. Continue to resource properly the Courts, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Scottish Legal Aid Board to ensure that accused persons are brought to trial promptly and that justice is seen to be done expeditiously.
2. b. Implement the reforms to the justice system contained in the Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007 and to review the effect of their operation during the life of this parliament.

Compensation

3. Increase awareness of existing compensation schemes for victims of crime and explore any measures that will expedite payments to victims.
4. Ensure that more prisoners convicted of serious crimes should be doing paid work to enable payments into a Victim Compensation Fund as well as to learn skills to reduce reoffending after release.
5. Assist the families of victims in meeting the costs of cleaning up after murders that have occurred in the home.

Information

6. Extend the victim notification scheme, where victims have a right to receive information about the release of a prisoner, to cover all crimes where offenders have been sentenced to detention or imprisonment for one year or more.
7. Ensure that, wherever possible, when proceedings are not taken or an accused is charged with a lesser crime, the victim, and their next of kin, are given an explanation by the Crown for this decision in good time and in clear terms.

Support

8. Provide the resources to enable Local Authorities to provide better facilities for community mediation for neighbour, housing and antisocial disputes.
9. Increase the use of restorative justice and mediation services to meet the needs of the both victims and offenders.
10. Tackle the low conviction rate for rape by supporting implementation of the recommendations of the Crown Office review of the prosecution of rape and serious sexual offences.
11. Evaluate the pilot of the specialist domestic abuse court in Glasgow and look to establishing similar courts in other parts of the country.
12. Revise the decision to cancel community reparation orders and review them as part of the overall review into the role for community sentences.
13. Legislate to stop criminals profiting from selling stories of the crimes they have committed.