Most of Scotland's sheriffs, and 40% of Court of Session judges, believe their working conditions are worse now than five years ago, according to the latest Judicial Attitude Survey for Scotland.
With an 81% response rate from salaried judges, the survey found that 88% of sheriffs who have been in post for at least five years claim that working conditions have deteriorated over that time.
Across both categories of judges, about 42% stated that their workload over the past 12 months had been too high. Also contributing to dissatisfaction are the standard of IT equipment in court (43% rate it as poor), time available for training (62% not satisfied) and opportunities for personal development (64% not satisfied).
Better ratings are given for the quality of training (89% satisfied), the range of training available (79%), variety of work (77%) and the challenge of the job (73%). Library and books, physical environment and IT support score 50% or just over, and the quality of administrative support scores 59% satisfied.
Virtually all judges (98%) believe they provide an important service to society, but while 50% feel valued by the public, only 8% feel valued by government. Over two thirds (67%) of all Scottish judges say that members of the judiciary are respected by society at large less than they were 10 years ago, with sheriffs more likely to perceive a decline in respect (70%) than senators (48%).
There is no consensus on whether the judiciary manages change well, or whether the amount of change in recent years has brought judges to breaking point.
