Dr Scott took abolitionist approaches as his starting point and explored radical alternatives to current penal policy. Furthermore, he explored what this approach might look like in Ireland and emphasised the value in looking towards dissenting voices in Irish history as a guidepost to shape an organic development of Irish abolitionist thought and practice. He emphasised why we need to radically reimagine a different future if we want to create a more just world. Slides and more workshop outputs can be found at:<a href='https://www.jcfj.ie/research/international-prison-policy-workshop/'>https://www.jcfj.ie/research/international-prison-policy-workshop/</a>

On 12th January 2024, an International Prison Policy Workshop was organised by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice for a closed group of policymakers, prison staff, academics, prison oversight bodies, chaplains, and civil society organisations. Its origin centred on a need to create a space to reflect on the consequences of imprisonment on families; to reimagine what may possible in relation to the imprisonment of women; and to explore new ways of thinking about prison policy more broadly.&nbsp;The workshop consisted of three papers addressing female sentencing, trauma-informed prisons and abolitionist thought, followed by extensive discussion. The presenters included:- Dr Shona Minson (University of Oxford);- Dr Anna Schliehe (University of Bonn/University of Trier);- Dr David Scott (Open University).