Petition

Sheriff court proceedings in Scotland should be recorded, Criminal & Civil.

Rejected 10 signatures

What the petition asks

Require audio-visual recording of all Sheriff court hearings in Scotland both civil & criminal whether in person, by video link, or hybrid & retain for a minimum of 4 weeks.
Obtainable by parties for a small fee if required.
Mandatory audio-visual recording would:
• Protect parties from unfair treatment and judicial errors;
• Provide a reliable record for appeals, complaints, and reviews;
• Strengthen transparency and public confidence in the justice system; and
• Support vulnerable and self-represented people in protecting their rights.

This reform would bring Scotland in line with other jurisdictions and could be implemented using existing Webex technology in the courts.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

Your petition is about something that the Scottish Government is responsible for. That means that the UK Government and Parliament can't look into it.

The Scottish Parliament has its own Public Petitions Committee. If you'd like to send your petition to the Scottish Parliament, you can find out more here:
https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-citizen-participation-and-public-petitions-committee

Timeline

24 Oct 2025 Petition opened for signatures
27 Nov 2025 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 10
Status Rejected
Rejected 27 Nov 2025

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Aug 2026.