Tomorrow I have been invited to attend a Forgiveness project workshop taking place inside one of Her Majesties penal establishments. The idea of the training is to enable prisoners to come into a place of forgiveness. But who should forgive and who should be forgiven?

One of the most damaging aspects in relation to the practical implementation of forgiveness is the enormity of emotion and history. Somebody has done something wrong and they need to put that right. The victim in that situation needs to come to a place of comfort, so they can move on in their own lives. Likewise the perpetrator has to understand the pain their actions cause in order for them not to repeat those devastating actions again.

I would like to argue that we need to start giving offenders a human face, as if we treat people like human beings then they act accordingly. When we stop making the enemy the enemy, they stop being such. But how can people be forgiven for crimes that society has seen fit to punish?

Maybe it is not my place to judge people who have already been judged. I prefer to have empathy as it reduces the cycle of violence and view these complex human issues as political issues.

It is almost like we are people involved in a brutal war, which is never ending. The more criminals we lock up the more fathers, uncles, sons and cousins are taken away from their families, leaving younger relatives to dream about emulating that perceived success. If you have ever been inside of a prison, you will see the pain of people involved in society’s conflict.

I am certainly not here to use justifications or rationales as to why certain people are trapped into a life of crime, which I do not think is a lifestyle choice. However can we really compensate for carrying the burden of committing crime, nobody wants to carry that burden.

It would be great if all criminal found some repentance or conscience to realise the enormity of the crimes being committed against society but society has to be prepared to forgive these individuals when they return to society. Are we really ready for that?

If we only have closed options violence and destruction usually springs to the forefront. Poor people around the country with no political power and progress can only became something through crime and violence. We should acknowledge that most criminals are trying to understand and be understood.

Forgiveness is such a problematic term as people can’t agree on one suitable meaning of the word. I believe this work is about conflict prevention and healing in memories, sharing stories in a safe way. Being heard is the greatest gift to give to someone who has been traumatised and the power of listening ensures everyone has the chance to be heard.

Soft power is rising through the political classes and should be used in society as well. If we continue to allow the forgiveness voice to continue to grow, we will be able to deal with the legacy of the past, see humanity even when we are hurting through the power of stories!