Policy engagement
Our criminal law team often engage with policy matters, regularly providing evidence to the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament or other relevant bodies:
2019
- Invited participant in Law Commission Rountable on Autonomous Vehicles, 23 Jan 2019 (Micheál Ó Floinn)
- Speaker at Hate Crimes Forum: Hate Crimes Legislation Globally - Objectives, Benefits and Experiences (organised by the Special Envoy for Women and Children and the National AIDS Commission), Belize, 7 Mar 2019 (James Chalmers)
2018
- Written evidence to the Justice Committee on the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Bill (VWCES Bill Evidence), 27 August 2018 (James Chalmers, Fiona Leverick and Vanessa Munro (Warwick)).
- Lead author of chapter 10 (electronic materials) in Law Commision, Search Warrants (Law Com CP No 235, 2018) (Micheál Ó Floinn)
- Lead author of Law Commission, Abusive and Offensive Online Communications: A Scoping Report (Law Com No 281, 2018) (Micheál Ó Floinn)
2017
- Oral evidence to the Justice Committee on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill, 7 November 2017 (Fiona Leverick)
- In 2017, researchers from the School of Law carried out a comparative analysis of hate crime legislation to assist the Scottish Government's Independent Review of Hate Crime Legislation, chaired by Lord Bracadale. Their report was published alongside the Review's consultation document: see J Chalmers and F Leverick, A Comparative Analysis of Hate Crime Legislation: A Report to the Hate Crime Legislation Review (2017), 147pp + ii.
2016
- Presentation on assisted dying and the law, End of Life Care Choices event, Scottish Parliament, 5 October 2016 (the event was a precursor to the establishment of the Cross Party Group on End of Life Choices) (James Chalmers)
2015
- Oral evidence to the Justice Committee on the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Bill, 17 November 2015 (James Chalmers)
- Written evidence to the Justice Committee on the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Bill, 13 November 2015 (James Chalmers)
- Stop and Search memo: Memorandum to the Independent Advisory Group on Stop and Search on legislative gaps which might arise from the abolition of consensual stop and search, 24 June 2015 (James Chalmers)
- Equally Safe response: Response to Scottish Government consultation Equally Safe - Reforming the Criminal Law to Address Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences, 22 June 2015 (James Chalmers)
- Culpable Homicide consultation response: Response to consultation by Richard Baker MSP on a proposed Culpable Homicide (Scotland) Bill, 9 March 2015 (James Chalmers)
- OATP consultation response: Response to the Law Commission's Offences Against the Person Scoping Consultation Paper, 11 February 2015 (James Chalmers)
- Assisted Suicide memo: Memo to the Health and Sport Committee on assisted suicide under Scots criminal law (in relation to the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill), 9 February 2015 (James Chalmers)
2014
- In 2014, researchers from the School of Law coordinated a project examining what additional safeguards and changes to law and practice might be necessary in the light of the abolition of the corroboration requirement in Scots law. That resulted in the publication of a lengthy report: J Chalmers, F Leverick and A Shaw (eds), Post-Corroboration Safeguards Review: Report of the Academic Expert Group (2014), 277pp + xxi. Further details are available here.
2013
- Oral evidence to the Justice Committee on Part 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill (Corroboration and Statements), 10 December 2013 (James Chalmers)
- Supplementary written evidence to the Justice Committee on the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill, 18 November 2013 (James Chalmers)
- Oral evidence to the Justice Committee on Part 1 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill (Arrest and Custody), 8 October 2013 (James Chalmers and Fiona Leverick)
- Written evidence to the Justice Committee on the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill, 28 August 2013 (James Chalmers, Lindsay Farmer and Fiona Leverick)
- Written response to the Scottish Government's consultation on additional safeguards following the removal of the requirement for corroboration, 14 March 2013 (James Chalmers)
- Oral evidence to the House of Lords Special Public Bill Committee on the Partnerships (Prosecution) (Scotland) Bill, 1 February 2013 (James Chalmers)
- Oral evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union Inquiry on the UK's 2014 Opt-Out Decision, 16 January 2013 (James Chalmers)
2012
- Written response to the Scottish Government's consultation on reforming Scots criminal law and practice - the Carloway Report, 19 December 2012 (James Chalmers, Lindsay Farmer and Fiona Leverick)
- McMahon Response: Response to the consultation on the proposed Reform of Criminal Verdicts (Scotland) Bill, 2 October 2012 (James Chalmers and Fiona Leverick)
- Oral evidence to the Justice Committee on the Criminal Cases (Punishment and Review) (Scotland) Bill, 7 February 2012 (James Chalmers)
- Police Act consultation: Response to the consultation on the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates - Children's Hearings) (Scotland) Order 2012, February 2012 (James Chalmers)
2011
- Oral evidence to the Justice Committee on the Carloway Review, 13 December 2011 (James Chalmers)
- McCluskey Response: Response to the First Report of the Review Group on the Examination of the Relationship between the High Court of Justiciary and the Supreme Court in Criminal Cases, 16 August 2011 (James Chalmers and Gerry Maher (Edinburgh))
- Carloway Response: Response to the Carloway Review's Consultation Document, 2 June 2011 (Lindsay Farmer and Fiona Leverick)
- Moorov response: Response to the Scottish Law Commission's Discussion Paper on Similar Fact Evidence and the Moorov Doctrine, 8 April 2011 (James Chalmers)
- Supplementary written evidence to the Justice Committee on the Criminal Cases (Punishment and Review) (Scotland) Bill, 7 February 2011 (James Chalmers)
- Written evidence to the Justice Committee on the Criminal Cases (Punishment and Review) (Scotland) Bill, 25 January 2011 (James Chalmers)