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There have been many attempts to incorporate restorative justice into prison settings in the UK, with some success in privately run prisons and by restorative justice charities and service providers running programmes within HM Prisons. However, the use of restorative justice in HM Prisons is not widespread and has had mixed or limited success.

Join us as we explore the question 'What next steps in terms of policy and practice are required in order to embed/mainstream restorative justice into HM Prisons?'.

We will be exploring this topic in a ‘fishbowl conversation’ format where an ‘inner circle’ of conversationalists will discuss the topic, observed by attendees in an ‘outer circle’. Attendees are encouraged to join the inner circle to discuss the topic if they feel they have something to contribute. We hope it will be an engaging and organic conversation to explore ways forward.

Starting off the discussion as the inner circle of conversationalists will be:

• Geoff Emerson (former Senior Probation Officer and current Mint House Trustee)

• Jim Simon (CEO at RJC)

• Sam Warman (Head of Programmes at Belong)

• Shirl Tanner (CEO at Sussex Pathways)

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This online event will be held on Zoom. You can register on Eventbrite, with variable ticket prices available. Please pay as you are able so that we have the resources to continue to hold these types of events:

• £10 (e.g. employed professional/government/academic/large organisation)

• £5 (e.g. employed by a small charity)

• Free (e.g. student/volunteer/don’t have the resources to pay for a ticket)

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Geoff Emerson worked in the Probation Service for 40 years, retiring in 2013. He held the position of Senior Probation Officer in two prisons, Aylesbury YOI (1988 – 91) and HMP Bullingdon (1997 – 2001). During this time he was involved in managing the Thames Valley Probation trial as part of a government funded random control trial to test the effectiveness of RJ and mainstreaming RJ as part of community sentences in Thames Valley Courts. Since retirement, Geoff has been involved in a range of RJ practice and training initiatives with Thames Valley Partnership and HMP Bullingdon. These projects have included leading the UK element of two EU funded initiatives to develop victim-initiated RJ and undertaking work to train staff and prisoners at HMP Bullingdon. Geoff is also currently a Trustee of The Mint House.

Jim Simon is the Chief Executive Officer of the Restorative Justice Council.  He joined the RJC as chief executive in April 2019, having been an RJC assessor since 2014 and currently chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Restorative Justice advisory board. He is an experienced practitioner and trainer within restorative practices and has led the strategic development and implementation of these services within educational and youth settings. His academic studies have focused on education and his Master’s degree research specifically focused on equality and diversity and the impact of restorative practices on providing a fair and equitable service to those involved within the process.

Sam Warman is the Head of Programmes at Belong, a charity that provides restorative, mentoring and therapeutic interventions for those in the criminal justice system both in prison and the community. Until recently, he ran Belong's Restorative Justice service at HMP Coldingley for 5 years. At the event, Sam will also be representing the views of peer-facilitator ‘RJ Reps’ who work with Belong to support the use of restorative justice within prisons.

Shirl Tanner is the Chief Executive Officer for Sussex Pathways, a criminal justice charity working in HMP Lewes and across Sussex, and the Strategic Lead for Sussex Pathways with the Sussex Restorative Justice Partnership. She has been with Sussex Pathways for 13 years and has been practicing restorative justice for 8 years. Shirl is an RJ trained trainer and has accredited training with the RJC.