Last Thursday we saw the first primetime debate in the House of Commons on ‘gangs and serious youth violence’. We both attended a short summit held the morning of the debate, in order to brief MPs on what could really make an impact and reduce violence in our city. The outcome of the debate was…
I would build… society’s capacity to think with compassion, love and understanding
A young man I used to work with in the prison system once asked me if I liked helping offenders. My honest reaction was of disgust. Not that he had asked me the question, but because that is honestly what he thought my team and I were doing. I replied that we do not help…
Understanding Violence
Violence is a public health issue and should be treated, not punished. A person does not just become violent, the behaviour is the physical expression of a deeper problem, the only way to cure violence is to understand its root causes. I once worked with a young man serving a rather long prison sentence. One…