About Us

Next Chapter Scotland exists to help anyone in Scotland who has been involved with the criminal justice system to navigate the stigma and discrimination that they can face throughout their lives.

We established in 2022 and became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) in 2023.
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We are run by a Board of Trustees made up of at least 50% people with a criminal record or a close family member of someone with a criminal record. We made this commitment because we believe that people who have lived through the experience should be at the heart of any changes that will improve their lives and the lives of their peers.

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Our Vision

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Our vision is of a society that no longer judges people based on their worst choices but, instead, sees them as they are today.

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Our Mission

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Our mission is to help people in Scotland who have been involved with the criminal justice system to navigate the stigma and discrimination they can face.

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Our Values

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Non-judgemental

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We connect with people as they present to us on any given day.

We only ever ask about offence type if it is relevant to the support being provided.

We will never exclude an individual based on their offence type.

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The irony of this value is that, of course, we all make judgements. What we work hard to do is make sure that every team member is supported to acknowledge their own internal judgements. We support them to work through any challenges they might experience, therefore allowing them to meet people with openness and compassion.

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Trauma informed

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Our organisation is guided by the principles of:

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• Safety: Prioritising emotional and physical safety of team members and service users.
• Trustworthiness: Building trust through transparency.
• Choice: Giving team members and service users a voice and choice.
• Collaboration: Working in partnership with organisations and individuals to support each other and reach shared goals.
• Empowerment: placing team members and service users at the centre of our decision-making processes.

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Valuing lived experience

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We place lived experience at the heart of everything that we do. Our involvement of people with lived experience of the criminal justice system is underpinned by the following principles:

• Equality: Every voice carries equal weight.
• Diversity: We take proactive steps to remove barriers and ensure we hear as broad a range of voices as possible.
• Accessibility: We take proactive steps to provide everyone with the support they require to be able to be heard.
• Compensation: We want to be able to demonstrate the value of people’s time and contribution by fairly compensating them for their involvement. We are working with our funders to achieve this.

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How will we get there?

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Our priorities are to:

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• Share clear and accessible information to help people who have been involved with the criminal justice system navigate any discrimination they may face.
• Bring people together to foster hope and amplify the voices of people who have been involved with the criminal justice system.
• Support people who have been involved with the criminal justice system to challenge the discrimination they face.
• Help to breathe life into the ideas that people who have been involved with the criminal justice system have on how best to improve ‘the system’.

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Why are we needed?

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It’s estimated that 1 in 3 men and 1 in 10 women in Scotland have a criminal record. In their words:

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“The punishment only started with prison. 23 years on from release and it hasn’t ended yet”

“You’re not classed as a valuable member of society. You’re tainted”

“I was better off in prison because I at least had people to talk to and didn’t worry about having to sleep on the street”

“I’ll be forever known as someone who’s been to prison. No matter how much time passes or what good I do, I’ll always be judged for my past crime”

“(It's so hard) Having to disclose to a faceless call centre operator every time I need insurance”

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Keeping People Safe

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Safeguarding is what we do to promote the welfare of all people who use our service, and to protect them from harm. Safeguarding is our first priority and is at the heart of everything we do. 

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Please view our Safeguarding Policy and our Safeguarding Procedures for more information.