Justice and Forgiveness – Podcast Discussion Group | Nottingham Humanists

For our May meeting we’ll be listening to:

The Rest is Politics Leading — Episode: 163. Prison Reform, Masculinity, and Restorative Justice (James Graham and Jacob Dunne)

A conversation about crime, forgiveness and the limits of punishment. Playwright James Graham and campaigner Jacob Dunne join Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell to discuss the real-life story behind the play Punch. After killing a young man as a teenager, Dunne later met the victim’s parents through restorative justice. The discussion explores prison reform, the pressures of masculinity, and whether justice systems can move beyond punishment towards accountability and healing.

Hidden Brain — Episode: How To Make Amends
When James and Donovan first met, they knew little about each other, except that Donovan had stolen James' bike. Donovan got caught, and spent a month in jail. It was a story with a happy ending, as far as James was concerned. But then he found out, nearly a decade later, what happened to Donovan after his conviction. This episode of Hidden Brain examines the unexpected aftermath of a crime, and what happens when adversaries meet in conversation instead of a courtroom.

The above two podcast episodes will be the primary subjects for our discussion. However, if you wanted to delve even deeper you could also listen to:

Revisionist History — Episode: I Am Superman with Patty Jenkins | Development Hell

This episode tells the story of I Am Superman, a screenplay Patty Jenkins wrote but never succeeded in getting produced. The film would have centred on a prison programme where inmates are paired with dangerous rescue dogs. Whilst the script had all the ingredients for a great drama, the message Jenkins wanted to tell around redemption and rehabilitation in prisons proved too subversive for Hollywood financiers.

The New Bazaar — Episode: Crime, Leniency, and the Science of Second Chances

Jen Doleac is an economist and the director of the Criminal Justice program at Arnold Ventures. She joins Cardiff Garcia to chat about her upcoming new book, “The Science of Second Chances: A Revolution in Criminal Justice”. (Fair warning: this episode is a little more academically heavy and US centric compared to the others but nonetheless packed with riveting insights)

You can find the podcast episodes here by following this link.

Please come along to join the discussion, share perspectives, and meet others with an interest in humanism. Listening to the episodes beforehand is strongly encouraged, but don’t worry if time doesn’t allow — you’re still very welcome to come along.

This event is free, but we welcome any donations which help with the running of our group.