Scotland
The sheriff court is the
main criminal and civil court. There are 49 sheriff courts throughout the country. District courts were
introduced in 1975 for minor offences. The Court of the Lord Lyon regulates heraldry.
The Scots legal system is unique in having three possible verdicts for a criminal trial: "guilty", "not guilty"
and "not proven". Both "not guilty" and "not proven" result in an acquittal with no possibility of retrial.
An additional, minor but interesting, point is that Scots juries consist of fifteen not twelve jurors as is more
common in English-speaking countries.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) manages the prisons in Scotland which contain between them over 7,500
prisoners.The Cabinet Secretary for Justice is responsible for the Scottish Prison Service within the Scottish
Government.
Geography and natural history
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