and whether there should be exceptions to it Admissibility of evidence of bad character or of previous convictions Archives -

(703) REFORMING CRIMINAL LAW AFTER WORLD’S END

January 1, 1970 hmacqueen Uncategorized

On 21 November 2007 Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, announced that the Scottish Law Commission had been asked by the Scottish Government to review a number of areas of criminal law (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2007/11/21103557). This is heralded by the Scotsman as The biggest review of Scots law for more than a generation” (http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1835092007).

The reference to the Commission is stated to have the aim of “ensuring an appropriate balance between the rights of the accused and the ability of the Crown to prosecute in the public interest.” And the Commission is to look at the following topics:

Judicial rulings that can bring a solemn case to an end without the verdict of a jury

and whether there should be exceptions to it Admissibility of evidence of bad character or of previous convictions