Taking Secrets to the Grave - Findings from 2025
- Lindsay Conchar - Scots Law Talks
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
What Scotland Told Us About Justice, Non-Disclosure and the Future of Parole
Over the last year, we travelled across Scotland with Taking Secrets to the Grave — an interactive event exploring what should happen when someone refuses to say where a victim’s body is.
More than 380 people took part in Dundee, Peterhead, Montrose, Arbroath, Stirling and Aberdeen. Together they examined a real case study, weighed up the evidence and voted on three key questions around non-disclosure and parole.
Below is a short overview of what Scotland told us. You can read the full report here:👉
1. Should someone who refuses to disclose be granted parole?
Scotland said: overwhelmingly, no.
Across our events, between 82 and 98 per cent of attendees said a person who continues to withhold vital information should not be released.
People saw non-disclosure as:
ongoing harm to families
a barrier to rehabilitation
and a major factor that should restrict parole
This was the strongest and most uniform finding of the entire tour.
2. Should the prisoner in our case study be released?
Eight out of nine events said no.
Most people felt uncomfortable with the idea of releasing someone who still refused to disclose information that could give a family closure.
3. Should the law change?
Most people supported the new mandatory duty set out in the 2025 Act.
Participants were asked whether Scotland should:
keep the law as it was
make non-disclosure something the Parole Board must consider
go further and introduce a stronger legal duty
The majority chose the middle option — the same approach now set out in the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.
A smaller but meaningful minority wanted even stronger reform.
The Human Impact Behind the Votes
Every event included powerful conversations about the harm caused by unresolved cases. People recognised:
the profound pain of not being able to grieve properly
the impact on friends and communities
the stigma faced by the offender’s family, especially children
Many described non-disclosure as a form of ongoing suffering that deserves serious weight at parole.
At the same time, audiences understood the ethical complexity in cases involving unrecovered victims — including the rights of those who maintain innocence.
This balance of compassion and caution was one of the most striking features of the project.
Is the New Law in Force Yet?
Not yet.
Although the Act received Royal Assent on 30 October 2025, sections 55 and 56 (the new parole rules on non-disclosure and victim safety) have not yet been commenced by Scottish Ministers. Accurate at time of writing on Friday 28th November 2025.
This means the Parole Board is not yet bound by the new duties.
We include a clear explanation of this in the full report.
Why This Work Matters
This project showed that people across Scotland are ready to engage deeply with complex justice issues when given the space, structure and support to do so.
Audiences demonstrated empathy, insight and a desire for a justice system that is transparent, consistent and compassionate.
It also revealed something we are incredibly proud of: a model of public engagement that makes Scots law accessible, meaningful and human.
What’s Next?
In 2026, our plans are:
✔️ bring Taking Secrets to the Grave to more venues across Scotland
✔️ launch an online version
✔️ develop Taking Secrets to the Grave 2 exploring new cases and themes such as denial, risk assessment and patterns of offending
If you’d like to dive deeper, you can read the full report (linked above and at the bottom of this blog!)
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who attended, took part, asked questions and shared their thoughts. And thank you for reading.
If you’d like to discuss any part of this work, you can contact Lindsay Conchar at scotslawtalks@gmail.com.
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