Remit and terms of reference
The Committee supports the Council in its communications activity, focusing in particular on its statutory objective to “promote greater awareness and understanding of sentencing policy and practice”.
Strategy
The Committee will assist the Council in delivering the Communications Strategy, in particular by:
- building the Council’s public profile
- identifying and overseeing promotional and public education projects and events
- identifying areas for collaboration with others, including contribution to public education projects, and participating in / attending conferences and events
- overseeing the development of promotional and informational materials including further website development.
Consideration will be given to the following key areas:
- developing the website and other relevant material as accessible resources
- raising awareness of sentencing policy and practice
- developing a comprehensive strategy for communications around guidelines
- engaging with the judiciary, practitioners, media, justice delivery organisations, stakeholders, and the wider public
- preparing key messages on Council business
- evaluating Council engagement and communications work
- providing helpful and accurate sentencing information on request and in collaboration with relevant organisations
In preparing the Communications Strategy, the Committee will take due account of the needs of different audiences and tailor relevant communications accordingly.
Minutes will be published on the website in accordance with the Council's Standing Orders.
Current members
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Krista Johnston
Committee member
Krista is the Council's solicitor member.
Krista Johnston is a graduate of law from Edinburgh University. She joined More and Co, Dunfermline, in 1992, specialising in criminal defence work. Along with others she founded the firm of Martin, Johnston and Socha in 1998. Her firm continues to concentrate exclusively on criminal defence work and has expanded to include offices in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Alloa.
In 2007 Krista became a solicitor advocate in the field of crime and has since enjoyed instruction from a number of solicitor firms across Scotland. She appears regularly in the High Court conducting criminal trials, and also appears in the appellate courts.
Krista is a member of the Society of Solicitor Advocates and Fortis Chambers.
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Dr Hannah Graham
Committee member
Dr Hannah Graham is the Council's Lay member.
Dr Hannah Graham is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) at the University of Stirling. Dr Graham has previously worked as a criminologist at the University of Tasmania, Australia.
Throughout her career as a criminologist, she has conducted research and worked with a range of people and agencies, including police, procurators fiscal, judiciary, lawyers, court staff, prison staff, justice social work and community justice, charities, people with lived experience of the criminal justice system, and justice policymakers.
Dr Graham is the author or editor of four books, published internationally, on rehabilitation, criminal justice work, and innovative approaches to justice. She is an Editor of the European Journal of Probation, and a member of the Community Sanctions and Measures Working Group in the European Society of Criminology.
Dr Graham is a member of the national Council for the Scottish Association for the Study of Offending (SASO).
In 2017-2018, Dr Graham was part of a team of researchers to conduct an independent review of the Aberdeen Problem Solving Approach, in collaboration with Aberdeen Sheriff Court and community justice partners. This approach specialises in working with people with complex needs and prolific offence histories to offer rehabilitative opportunities and address the underlying causes of their offending. In 2007, she conducted an independent evaluation of a mental health court diversion initiative for the Magistrates Court and Forensic Mental Health Services in Tasmania, Australia.
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Lesley Weber
Committee member
Lesley is the Council's victims expert.
Lesley Weber is currently Head of Effective Practice at the Risk Management Authority (RMA), with key leadership responsibilities to advance evidence-based, effective and ethical practice. Her role involves programme leadership for RMA functions of policy, promoting effective practice, standards and guidelines, risk management plans, risk assessor accreditation and the implementation of education and training.
Ms Weber began her career as a social worker in 2007 and worked as a professional and clinical social worker for a number of years, specialising in children and families social work, domestic abuse, and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Ms Weber held roles in Local Authority, NHS and with the domestic abuse charity Respect. Ms Weber’s experience ranges from expert assessments, implementation of evidence-based models and interventions, prevention and early intervention.
Ms Weber also practiced as an Independent social worker, undertaking expert risk and vulnerability assessments in relation to domestic abuse, for the family courts in London. From 2016 until 2019, Ms Weber was the service manager for the Domestic Abuse Intervention Service (DAIS) with the London Borough of Hackney, a service that provides assessment and intervention for both victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse. Her role in Hackney held concurrent responsibility for the coordination of the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. Prior to commencing her role with the RMA, Ms Weber spent a year with Highland Council as the Executive Chief Officer for Health and Social Care.
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Sheriff Andrew McIntyre
Advisor
Sheriff McIntyre was the Council's Summary Sheriff member between 2017-2018 until his appointment as sheriff. Sheriff McIntyre sits on the Communications Committee as an advisor by invitation of the Council.
Sheriff Andrew McIntyre is a graduate of the University of Glasgow. He undertook his training as a solicitor at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Edinburgh and then with the Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow. He went on to serve as a procurator fiscal in a number of capacities for more than 16 years until his appointment as one of the first summary sheriffs in April 2016. His term automatically ended when he was appointed as a sheriff in the sheriffdom of North Strathclyde in 2018.
During his career in the prosecution service, he undertook a number of senior roles across Scotland and at the Crown Office. Between 2007 and 2010 he was head of victim policy at Crown Office where he advised the law officers and developed prosecution policy on matters such as sexual crime, domestic abuse, hate crime and vulnerable witnesses. Between 2012 and 2015 he was the senior prosecutor with responsibility for sheriff and jury trials across the North of Scotland. In this last role, he was also appointed as a specialist human trafficking prosecutor. He also undertook secondments with the Commission for Racial Equality (as it then was) and with Lord Carloway on his review of aspects of criminal procedure in Scotland.
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Communications Committee meeting 11
Wednesday 24 November 2021
The eleventh meeting of the Communications Committee took place on Wednesday 24 November, 2021
Agenda
Agenda
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Communications Committee meeting 10
Thursday 05 August 2021
The tenth meeting of the Communications Committee took place on Thursday 5 August, 2021
Agenda and Minutes
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Minutes
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Communications Committee meeting 9
Thursday 20 May 2021
The ninth meeting of the Communications Committee took place on Thursday 20 May, 2021
Agenda and Minutes
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Minutes
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Communications Committee meeting 8
Monday 01 February 2021
The eighth meeting of the Communications Committee will take place on Monday 1 February, 2021
Agenda and Minutes
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Minutes
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Communications Committee Meeting 7
Wednesday 12 February 2020
The seventh meeting of the Communications Committee took place on Wednesday 12 February, 2020 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Agenda and Minutes
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Draft Minutes
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Communications Committee Meeting 6
Wednesday 20 November 2019
The sixth meeting of the Communications Committee will take place on Wednesday 20 November, 2019 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Agenda and Minutes
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Minutes
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Communications Committee Meeting 5
Thursday 21 March 2019
The fifth meeting of the Communications Committee took place on 21 March, 2019 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Agenda and Minutes
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Draft minutes
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Communications Committee Meeting 4
Monday 03 September 2018
The fourth meeting of the Communications Committee took place on 3 September, 2018 at Parliament House, Edinburgh.
Agenda and Minutes
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Minutes
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Communications Committee Meeting 3
Monday 19 February 2018
The third meeting of the Communications Committee will take place on 21 February, 2018 at Parliament House, Edinburgh.
Agenda and Minutes
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Communications Committee Meeting 2
Thursday 14 September 2017
The second meeting of the Communications Committee took place on 14 September, 2017 at Parliament House, Edinburgh.
Agenda and Minutes
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Communications Committee Meeting 1
Thursday 13 October 2016
The first meeting of the Communications Committee took place on 13 October, 2016 at Parliament House, Edinburgh.
Agenda and Minutes
