Lawburrows meaning

In Scottish practice, lawburrows is a preventive civil remedy allowing a person who reasonably fears assault, harassment or molestation to apply to the sheriff court for an order requiring the other party to find caution (a surety or cash deposit) to keep the peace towards the applicant. It is not punitive: it operates as financial security for future good behaviour. If the order is breached, the court may declare a contravention and the caution is forfeited (typically to the Crown). Lawburrows is rooted in historic Scottish statutes and developed by case law; today it is pursued by summary application in the sheriff court. The sheriff fixes the level of caution and the duration of the order. It is commonly considered alongside interdict and non‑harassment orders; unlike interdict, it secures a bond rather than imposing detailed prohibitions. The term and procedure are specific to Scotland. In England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland the closest analogues are “binding over” or “peace bond” orders (usually made in the criminal courts), alongside civil protective orders (for example, injunctions, non‑molestation orders and harassment remedies). Usage and legal effect therefore differ outside Scotland, where “lawburrows” is not used.