A Diversion from Prosecution Scheme is an alternative way to deal with someone’s offending behaviour.
It’s used in cases where the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service decides that it’s not in the public interest to prosecute a case through court. This might be because:
- the case involves a minor offence
- the person who committed the offence is young or has no history of previous offending
Diversion assessments
To decide whether someone is suitable for the Diversion from Prosecution Scheme, the local Justice Social Work team will carry out an assessment. They’ll do this by meeting with:
- the person who carried out the offence
- a member of that person’s family, if this is appropriate
During the meeting, they’ll ask the person who carried out the offence about:
- the alleged offence
- any difficulties the person might have
- what services might help to reduce the risk of reoffending
If the Justice Social Work team decides that a person is suitable for the scheme, they’ll then either:
- work with them directly for a limited period of time
- refer them to another agency for more specialised support
At this end of the period of support, the Justice Social Work team will share the outcome with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.