Scotland has a legal and judicial system completely distinct from that of England and the UK, complete with its own courts, officers and legislation. Like UK-wide law, however, it is divided into civil and criminal law. Here, the focus is on Criminal Law - an overview of the Civil justice system can be found here.
Courts and Officers
The main courts dealing with Criminal cases in Scotland are - in ascending order of importance - the Justice of the Peace Court (formerly District Court), the Sheriff Court, and the High Court of the Justiciary (dealing with both trials and appeals).
The Lord Advocate is the chief prosecutor in the country, but in most cases appoints a Procurator Fiscal to oversee matters.. The Procurator Fiscal also does initial investigations into crimes to be prosecuted in the High Court, to see if they are worth trying.
