Possession of child pornography and causing death by dangerous driving may no longer mean jail under radical plans to phase out sentences of less than a year in Scotland.

A north-east MSP has praised a charity for making more than 6,000 palliative care visits across the north-east.

The number of violent crimes recorded by Police Scotland has increased by more than 10 per cent in a year, figures show.

Statistics produced by the national force show the number of murders, attempted murders and serious assaults all rose in the year to 31 March.

Controversial plans for a workplace parking levy could risk the “safety and security” of police, the body representing rank-and-file officers has claimed.

Introducing a presumption against prison sentences of less than three months has had only a “limited” impact, according to research.

The Scottish Government brought in the measure in 2011 in the hope of reducing the prison population and promoting community-based alternatives.

A damning report has condemned failures in the SNP’s soft-touch community service scheme.

Inspectors said there was no evidence criminals were rehabilitated by Community Payback Orders.

Nicola Sturgeon and her justice minister have received dozens of letters from Scots who were furious about the state of the Scottish justice system following the sentencing of Christopher Daniel.

Over-stretched police are struggling to meet their target times for progressing cases to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, new research has revealed.

IN PARLIAMENT, my colleagues and I spend a lot of time discussing high profile crimes. However, we rarely discuss anti-social behaviour, which can have a major impact on the quality of peoples’ lives; the cohesion of their communities and the amenity of the spaces in which they live.

THIS WEEK saw the publication of Lord Bracadale’s “Independent Review of Hate Crime Legislation in Scotland”.