Who is being locked up? Should they be? And what are the chances of a new and better life afterwards? Do our prison and justice systems really make society safer or fairer? What can we all do to make sure a prison sentence isn’t automatically a life sentence?
Please come and join in as Jude Kelly talks to Brenda Birungi (also known as the poet Lady Unchained), Baroness Helena Kennedy QC and Nazir Afzal (former Chief Prosecutor) about how people end up jail, the experiences inside, and then what the future holds for ex offenders. Help us think about life before, in and after prison and how we can shape the future of criminal justice in the UK.
The event helps launch the exhibition Soul Journey to Truth, which opens on 17 May 2021 at HOME. It is being curated by Brenda Birungi for HOME, Koestler Arts and the Ripples of Hope Festival. Through music, writing and visual art created by people in secure and community settings across the North West, including prisons, secure hospitals and probation, Brenda takes visitors on her Soul Journey to Truth. Her selection includes many works that tell stories – some fragile, some powerful – each one created by someone finding their voice through the arts.
The Ripples of Hope Festival celebrates the power of people to make human rights a reality for all. Launched in May 2021 with this online conversation and exhibition, the Festival takes place 15-19 September 2021 at HOME and with Feasts of Hope across Greater Manchester. It is presented by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.