Scotland Country Report. Different Systems, Similar Outcomes? Tracking Attrition in Reported Rape Cases in 11 European Countries

Abstract

This report looks at attrition in Scotland. Attrition – the process by which the majority of reported rape cases fail to reach trial – has become a critical research and policy issue. In virtually all countries where major studies have been published, substantial increases in reporting have not been matched by rises in prosecutions, resulting in a falling conviction rate. Whilst this pattern has been documented in two previous Daphne projects (Regan & Kelly, 2003), it was not universal across Europe. This report forms part of a wider project funded by the EU Commission which is analysing the similarities and differences in attrition processes across 11 countries with varying judicial systems and socio-legal cultures; it is the first study to do this.