Taking forward the Justice Matters initiative
During March we held two really interesting and challenging Justice Matters events.
On Monday, 24th March we held the 'Justice Matters partners' event, focusing on the initiative as a whole. Though relatively small in number, the discussion among those who attended was excellent.
My colleague Will McMahon introduced the thinking behind the Justice Matters initiative. You can read what he said here.
On Wednesday, 26th March more than 60 people turned up for the 'Justice Matters for Women' event, which we organised in partnership with Women in Prison. There was a lot of energy in the room and a real desire to do things differently.
My colleague Helen Mills has written up her thoughts on the event, as well as summarising some of the talk on Twitter. Laurel Townhead of Women in Prison has also written a piece, explaining how we plan to take Justice Matters for Women forward.
I could live without...
We've had a great response from our call for ideas on what bit of the criminal justice system people feel they could live without. They include:
- John Moore, who wrote that we should give up using criminal justice to solve social problems.
- Tim Hope, arguing that the uniformed police service should be abolished.
- Andria E-Mordaunt, calling for an end to the criminalisation of drug users.
You can read all the contributions we have received so far here. And keep sending in your ideas.
Coming up
The Centre publishes a quarterly magazine, Criminal Justice Matters (cjm), which explores contemporary developments in political debate, policy and research. The June 2014 edition of cjm carries a special focus on Justice Matters, with articles by me and other colleagues at the Centre - Will McMahon, Rebecca Roberts, Helen Mills and Roger Grimshaw - as well as by Charlie Weinberg of SafeGround.
We'll be making the articles free to view on our website in May.
Looking ahead
In the coming months we will be building on our current partnership with Women in Prison and discussing with a range of other organisations who have contacted us about future partnership work following our Partners meeting. We will also be out and about, responding to speaking requests from organisations across the country who are interested in the Justice Matters initiative.
If you would like one of the team to speak about Justice Matters at an event you are organising, you can email us at justicematters@crimeandjustice.org.uk.
If would like to receive our free Justice Matters mailings, click here.