Over the past few months the Prison Reform Trust has been working on an exciting new initiative to demonstrate just how much consensus there is between people in the criminal justice system and those concerned with reform. Talking Justice will kickstart a much-needed, informed discussion about justice reform in 2010 and beyond.

The initiative launched in May after the election, when people and politicians were listening, and it will unfold over the course of the year. Ahead of the official launch, in March, Prison reform trust published brief films of leading politicians from the three main political parties talking about the criminal justice system. With contributions from the Minister for Prisons, Maria Eagle, the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne, and the Telegraph columnist Mary Riddell, the film Talking Justice: Talking Sense shows how much agreement there is on the use of imprisonment as a sanction of last resort and the scope of community solutions to crime. Once the election is called there is a risk of temporarily losing sight of this perspective.

Started in May the Prison Reform Trust launched a collection of one minute films of 30 people at the heart of the justice system Talking Justice.

Source: Prison Reform Trust Newsletter June 2010