3.The Act, which makes a number of changes to the law on the treatment of victims and witnesses (and other vulnerable people involved in court proceedings) and on civil and criminal justice, is in 13 Parts as follows:
	Part 1 –establishes a new Victims and Witnesses Commissioner for Scotland and makes provision about the Commissioner’s functions.
	Part 2 – imposes a requirement on criminal justice bodies to have regard to trauma-informed practice in carrying out their functions; requires the standards of service produced by those criminal justice bodies to include standards on trauma-informed practice; allows the courts to make rules for the purpose of ensuring that criminal, civil, and Fatal Accident Inquiry proceedings are conducted in a way that accords with trauma-informed practice; and requires the judiciary to take trauma-informed practice into account when scheduling criminal and civil court business.
	Part 3 – makes provision for victims to be informed about plea agreements or decisions not to prosecute or to discontinue proceedings, makes changes to the victim notification scheme, which provides for victims to be given information and, in certain circumstances, have the right to make representations, about the person who offended against them; extends the right to make a victim statement to complainers in all solemn proceedings; requires the provision of court transcripts to complainers in certain proceedings; makes provision about referral to victim support services by the police; and requires the Scottish Ministers to review the provision of information to victims of persons offered fixed penalties.
	Part 4 – makes provision about factors which the Parole Board for Scotland must take into account in deciding whether a prisoner is to be released and about specific considerations which the Parole Board and/or the Scottish Ministers must make when setting licence conditions on release.
	Part 5 – provides for the special measures available to the courts in relation to vulnerable witnesses in some court proceedings to be available in all civil proceedings; extends the range of special measures available to include allowing the court to prohibit parties from personally conducting their own case; and makes provision for special measures to be available where parties to civil proceedings are regarded as vulnerable.
	Part 6 – abolishes the not proven verdict; and makes provision for criminal juries, including providing that a jury can continue to sit in a case provided at least 12 jurors remain, providing for the minimum number of jurors needed to deliver a guilty verdict, altering the form and manner of jury affirmation, providing for support for jurors with communication needs due to disability, and providing for research into juries.
	Part 7 – establishes a new Sexual Offences Court to try persons accused of certain sexual offences.
	Part 8 – adds the admission of the record of a prior examination as a special measure available in relation to vulnerable witnesses in criminal proceedings and makes changes to the provision of special measures to child witnesses.
	Part 9 – provides for a number of other reforms of the criminal justice system, in particular:lifelong anonymity for victims of certain sexual offences (subject to waiver by the victim or the court in certain circumstances);extends certain restrictions on evidence in proceedings related to sexual offences to cover proceedings in relation to additional offences and offences in connection with which a docket is included in the indictment or complaint;a right for legal representatives of complainers in certain sexual offences cases to make representations in relation to applications made for the purposes of section 275(1) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (“the 1995 Act”) to admit certain sexual history and character evidence.
	Part 10 – makes provision about the making of non-harassment orders.
	Part 11 – creates two new offences of “breaching” certain protective orders made outwith Scotland.
	Part 12 – requires the Scottish Ministers to review proceedings for domestic abuse offences where there are also related or connected proceedings (civil or criminal).
	Part 13 – contains the final provisions, including provision defining “trauma-informed practice” as well as provision for commencement of the Act.
The Act