Common Ground on The Rest Is Politics: Leading

The Common Ground Justice Project was featured on The Rest Is Politics: Leading, with our co-founder Jacob Dunne appearing alongside hosts Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell, and award-winning playwright James Graham, whose play Punch is based on Jacob’s life story.

In the conversation, Jacob discussed the journey that led him to co-found the Common Ground Justice Project with Alice Dawnay and Sam Boyd, and the organisation’s mission to move the debate on crime and justice beyond stale arguments and political soundbites.

As Jacob explained:

“What we’re seeking to do is help move the public debate forward and find pragmatic solutions that can actually make progress.”

He described how the project focuses on listening to the public — across political divides — to understand what people actually want from the justice system, and identify reforms that both reduce crime and command public confidence.

The discussion also explored how stories like Punch can challenge common misconceptions about justice reform.

Playwright James Graham addressed one of the most common misunderstandings about Restorative Justice, the topic of Punch and our Right To Be Heard campaign:

“Painting Restorative Justice as being easy or soft is such a mischaracterization. It is about the hardest thing you can ask an offender and a victim to go through. But it is muscular. It’s robust. It’s evidence-based.”

And former prisons minister Rory Stewart reflected on the importance of political leadership in supporting reforms that work, suggesting there is more poltiical space than politicians tend to think:

“Government can have a bit more courage. It doesn’t need to be quite as frightened.”

The episode explored how listening more deeply — to victims, communities and people across political divides — can help create a more constructive national conversation about crime and justice.

▶ Watch the episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PyAHZmqCsc

🎧 Or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts via The Rest Is Politics: Leading.