Section 76 diet

Section 76 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 applies in solemn proceedings (more serious cases). When an accused person wants to plead guilty and have the case sentenced, or disposed of, at once, they can make that known to the prosecution. This means that the case can be brought to court more quickly to call at what is sometimes called a ‘section 76 diet’. When an accused person pleads guilty to an offence, the court must take that into account in imposing a sentence, and may consider reducing the sentence as a result. See our Sentencing Factors page for more detail.