Chris Atkins, Gen Glaister and Rob McKeon chaired by Stephen Law

Ex-prison officer Gen Glaister, ex-prisoner Chris Atkins and Parole Board member Rob McKeon consider key questions about our criminal justice system, prisons and crime.

While the UK has witnessed a steady decrease in crime over decades, the number of individuals incarcerated has continued to rise. High rates of reoffending persist. Was the Labour government right to release more than 1,700 prisoners early? Is the prison system fulfilling its intended purpose? What leads individuals to drift into crime in the first place? What is the reality of life behind bars? And what happens when you get out?

Atkins is a BAFTA-nominated journalist and documentary maker. Following his own imprisonment, he turned his experience into a bestselling book, podcast series and television show. His book, Time After Time: Why Criminals Can’t Quit Crime, explores how the prison system perpetuates reoffending.

Glaister became a prison officer at 23 in one of London’s largest men’s jails. Her memoir, The Prison Officer, offers an unflinching inside look at life in UK prisons, challenging preconceived ideas about prisoners and rehabilitation. Glaister now works with 3Pillars, developing custody and post-release programs that aim to break the cycle of reoffending.

McKeon is a Parole Board member, deciding whether prisoners who are serving sentences for some of the most serious offences in the country are safe to be released. His new book about his work is Parole: the Fate of Prisoners in my Hands and the High-stake Risks of Getting it Wrong. He featured in the BBC2 documentary Parole.

Discussion is chaired by Dr Stephen Law, philosopher and academic, and author of bestselling introductions to philosophy for adults and children including The Philosophy Gym. Law is also the editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy Journal, Think, and the festival’s major projects director.