The people and organisations fighting to make the world a better place.
Wow, what a week!
I've been in London meeting with so many passionate people working in the criminal justice sphere. From policy makers to campaigners, people with experience of spending time incarcerated to those just starting their careers in the sector, I'm convinced more than ever that there is momentum to make the world a fairer, safer and more equitable place for all.
Where I've been -
Monday was spent at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies where campaigners from JENGbA, UNGRIPP and United Friends & Family Campaign (UFFC) spoke about their respective decades long fights for justice in relation to Joint Enterprise, Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences and those affected by deaths in UK police, prison, immigration and psychiatric custody.
It highlighted to me the perseverance, determination and drive it takes to fight for what you believe in, and I went away inspired to learn more and do more.
I wrote about the injustice of IPP in Criminal, in the chapter 'When Life Means Life', and although we're hearing from all political sides that it's a 'stain on the justice system', we can increase the pressure on government to finally do something about it. Please do visit the UNGRIPP website to see how to get involved in the fight.
An exhibition I want to go to -
Marcia Rigg shared the details of this exhibition, and it looks incredibly moving, poignant and vital. If you're in London, make sure to check it out.
Books I'm reading -
I connected with Stu a few months ago over on Twitter and finally got a copy of his book this week. During the pandemic, he delivered emergency medicine and food parcels in inner city Leeds. His book, Ghost Signs, takes this experience and highlights the issue of 21st century poverty and how a decade of austerity has devastated our most vulnerable communities.
What I'm listening to -
I've been showing this video at all the talks I've been giving over the past couple of weeks. The Irene Taylor Trust provided the soundtrack. They deliver numerous music in prisons programmes. They have loads of Sound cloud playlists that you can access here and show just how much amazing talent there is locked behind prison walls.
That's it for now, although there are so many other people I want to mention, so I'll be putting out another blog soon. But, in the meantime, if you want to see what else I'm doing you can you can click here.