Future Rrends in Sentencing Policy — The Satisfaction of the Individual Victim Within a System of Public Prosecution *

This article examines firstly the way in which the civil and criminal systems of law in Scotland have developed and the ways in which they compensate victims of injury or loss through crime, and secondly the relationship between the victim and perpetrator in the context of the judicial system and process. It examines the historical background to sentencing policy and the present state of the law in this area in Scotland. The article concludes by considering the civil process in France and by suggesting possible ways in which any advantages from the Continent may be incorporated into the laws of Scotland. The discussion highlights the changing attitudes to sentencing policy in Scotland, and contributes to a more general discussion on the changing attitude to the law and treatment of the victims of crime in Europe as a whole.