Summary procedure

Summary procedure is the way less serious criminal cases are dealt with in Scotland, before a judge sitting alone without a jury.

Summary procedure is used for most criminal cases in Scotland. The charges are set out in a document called a complaint, and the case is heard in a justice of the peace court or by a sheriff or summary sheriff sitting without a jury. The judge decides the verdict. The usual stages are a pleading diet, where you plead guilty or not guilty, then, if you plead not guilty, an intermediate diet and a trial diet. Sentencing powers are limited: up to 60 days' imprisonment and a £2,500 fine in a justice of the peace court, and up to 12 months and a £10,000 fine before a sheriff, unless the law creating the offence sets a lower limit. Appeals go to the Sheriff Appeal Court.

Checked as at 25 September 2026. General information only, not legal advice.