Justice Café: Prisons on the Table

St Albans Cathedral is launching a new series called the Justice Café, and the first session, Prisons on the Table, runs on Monday 9 November from 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the Abbot's Kitchen. It's an open discussion about where prisons fit into a just society, run by the Cathedral Social Justice Group in collaboration with Paul Thistlethwaite of Thinking Box, who's been facilitating deliberative discussions since 2013.

The evening starts by laying out three different positions on what the justice system should be aiming for. There's Justice, fair consequences that fit the crime; Compassion, rehabilitation and a path back into society; and Protection, keeping innocent people safe. From there, the group looks at real-world evidence on reoffending, deterrence, victims' experiences and alternatives to prison, before breaking into mixed groups to find common ground. It's designed as an engaging conversation rather than a lecture, so you're expected to get involved rather than just listen.

The setting has its own weight to it: St Albans Cathedral, shrine to Britain's first saint, is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain, with the oldest tower in the country and 211 steps to the top. The session is in-person only and won't be recorded, so you'll need to be there in the room to take part. It's free, though you do need to register in advance. The whole thing runs from 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the Abbot's Kitchen, inside the Cathedral grounds.