AFTER NOT GUILTY · ABOUT THE PROJECT
Why this project exists
The trial is over. What happens next?
After Not Guilty is an independent, evidence-led public-interest project developed by Simon Peers following his own experience of criminal proceedings and acquittal in Scotland.
Its purpose reaches beyond any one case. An acquittal decides the charge before the court, but questions may remain about information held by other organisations, decisions taken while proceedings were ongoing, and the practical process of restoring ordinary life. This project asks how those questions should be handled fairly, transparently and with clear responsibility.
Our Purpose
After Not Guilty is an independent, public-interest initiative dedicated to improving accountability, fairness and organisational learning.
We seek neither compensation nor confrontation for its own sake.
Our purpose is to identify systemic weaknesses, propose practical improvements and encourage public institutions to demonstrate that corrective action has genuinely worked.
If one person is spared an avoidable injustice because something we identified was corrected, the work will have been worthwhile.
WHAT WE EXAMINE
Three questions beyond the verdict
01 / The human consequences
How can proceedings affect work, finances, wellbeing, reputation and access to services, even after an acquittal? Experiences vary, and none should be presumed universal.
02 / The information trail
Is the outcome accurately recorded and understood wherever relevant information is held? Where records or restrictions remain, what is their lawful basis, who is accountable and how can a person seek review or correction?
03 / Restoration and learning
Who takes responsibility for unfinished consequences, and how does anyone verify that agreed action has actually been completed? The project calls this the problem of an orphaned outcome — a decision whose downstream consequences have no clear owner.
A proposed Scottish Post-Acquittal Standard
We are exploring a Scottish Post-Acquittal Standard and a Justice Information Audit: practical proposals to establish which records and consequences remain, identify the responsible decision-makers, explain any continuing legal basis, and provide a route to review, correction and verification.
These are proposals for discussion and reform, not descriptions of rights or duties already in force.
Evidence, fairness and responsible publication
We distinguish personal experience from documented fact, questions from established findings, and proposed improvements from existing legal obligations. An acquittal does not, by itself, establish misconduct by an official or require the deletion of every record. Continued use of information or other measures must be assessed under the applicable law and safeguards.
Our aim is constructive scrutiny: better explanations, accurate records, accountable decisions and a process that does not confuse an administrative acknowledgement with a resolved problem.
Read the proposal: A Scottish Post-Acquittal Standard sets out eight practical steps for records, review, restoration and independent verification. This is a proposal for reform, not existing law.
Explore the project
Start with Not Guilty — Then What? and The Orphaned Outcome to explore the questions in more detail.
If you have relevant experience, research or evidence, please use our Send a Message page. Messages are not automatically published. Please avoid including confidential or time-sensitive legal information; this is not a legal advice service.
