Why the law matters here
If you are trying to understand what happened in a Scottish criminal case, or why a trial unfolded the way it did, you will almost certainly encounter legal concepts that are unfamiliar and not always easy to find explained clearly anywhere.
Some of these concepts are distinctive to Scots law and have no direct equivalent elsewhere. Some are shared with other legal systems but operate differently in Scotland. Some are currently the subject of active legal debate at the highest levels of the court system. All of them matter in practice to the people whose cases are shaped by them.
This section explains the key legal doctrines that operate in Scottish criminal proceedings in plain English. It does not assume legal knowledge. It does not pretend that these are simple matters when they are not. And it tries to be honest about where the law is clear, where it is contested, and where it is still evolving.
Each page can be read on its own. If you are trying to understand a specific doctrine go directly to that page. If you are new to this area reading them in order will give you the clearest overall picture.
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One of the most distinctive features of Scots criminal law: the requirement that no one can be convicted on the evidence of a single witness alone.