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Publications

All information published by the Council, including the Council's business plans and annual reports, can be accessed on this page.

Further details about the classes of information published by the Council, and how to access that information, are available in the Guide to information published by the Scottish Sentencing Council.

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Unacceptable actions policy (163kb)

Communications
4th December 2025
Revised unacceptable actions policy of the Scottish Sentencing Council.

Rape of a young child sentencing guideline (286kb)

Guidelines
3rd December 2025
This guideline applies to all offenders who are sentenced on or after 03 March 2026, and who have been convicted of one of the following offences: • an offence under section 18 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 (rape of a young child) • the common law offence of rape where the victim is a young child (a child under the age of 13)

Rape sentencing guideline (290kb)

Guidelines
3rd December 2025
This guideline applies to all offenders who are sentenced on or after 03 March 2026, and who have been convicted of one of the following offences: • an offence under section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 (rape) • the common law offence of rape.

Rape of a young child sentencing guideline impact assessment (782kb)

Guidelines
3rd December 2025
This document fulfils the Scottish Sentencing Council’s statutory duty to provide an assessment of the costs and benefits to which the implementation of a guideline is likely to give rise, and an assessment of the likely impact of the guideline on the criminal justice system in general.

Rape sentencing guideline impact assessment (936kb)

Guidelines
3rd December 2025
This document fulfils the Scottish Sentencing Council’s statutory duty to provide an assessment of the costs and benefits to which the implementation of a guideline is likely to give rise, and an assessment of the likely impact of the guideline on the criminal justice system in general.
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Originally published on 7th July 2023. Updated on 28th November 2024.

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Scottish Sentencing Council, Parliament House, Edinburgh, EH1 1RQ

Tel: 0300 790 0006 Email: sentencingcouncil@scotcourts.gov.uk
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