Consultation: Disclosure of Information to Victims of Mentally Disordered Offenders
1. This consultation seeks views on whether procedures should be introduced to enable information to be routinely given to victims of mentally disordered offenders ( MDOs). A Glossary and a Definition of Terms used in this document is contained in ANNEX F
Introduction
2.Sections 16 and 17 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 make statutory provision for the current Victim Notification Scheme ( VNS) and came into effect on 1 November 2004.
3. The current criminal justice VNS is only open to victims of certain crimes, mainly violent or sexual crime, where the offender receives a custodial sentence of 18 months or more. Details of how the current VNS works is set out in ANNEX A.
4. Victims of MDOs who are subject to compulsory measures authorising detention in hospital and treatment or treatment and other measures in the community are not included in the current VNS or any other statutory scheme applicable in Scotland.
5. This consultation paper seeks your views on whether a scheme similar to that in place for other offenders in the criminal justice system should now be introduced for victims of MDOs. The specific questions upon which views are sought are set out in Part 3 of this consultation document.
6. Introducing such a VNS scheme for MDOs would require a change in the law.