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CJA Events & Member Meetings

The CJA holds regular events which give members and other organisations in the criminal justice sector the opportunity to discuss challenges, hear new ideas, support one another, and meet key policy makers. Find out more about becoming a member.


Upcoming events

Human Rights Watch Film Festival: AFTER THE FIRE

The 28th edition of the London Human Rights Watch Film Festival is running from 14-24 March, 2024, in partnership with Barbican Cinema and Rich Mix.

This year’s festival will present 10 films screening in-person at the Barbican and Rich Mix with in-depth post film discussions with filmmakers, film participants, activists, and Human Rights Watch researchers; the majority of the programme will also screen digitally across the UK and Ireland.

This year’s edition celebrates the convergence of art and human rights, and the Criminal Justice Alliance is a charity partner for AFTER THE FIRE. The film focuses on the personal & legal battles that an act of police brutality brings to one family in France, inspired by true stories that have affected thousands of real families worldwide.

You can watch UK premiere of AFTER THE FIRE in-person on 20th March, at The Barbican Centre with a post-screening discussion to follow with filmmaker Mehdi Fikri and HRW researcher Kartik Raj.

Book tickets now

Want a digital pass to the festival? We have a discount code exclusively for our members. For more information email: media@criminaljusticealliance.org.uk


Past events

Racial disparity expert group meeting, Friday 30 June 2023

This group acts as an advisory group for the CJA’s public sector equality duty (PSED) project.

Learn more

Online report launch: Beyond a numbers game, Monday 5 June 2023

Beyond a numbers game is the result of a three-year examination of racial diversity and inclusion across the criminal justice system. The report comes in the wake of significant reports and reviews including the Macpherson Report, the Lammy Review, and the Casey Review, highlighting the presence of racism and its harmful impact on racially minoritised staff and those directly impacted by the system.

Key speakers at the launch event included:

  • Abimbola Johnson, prominent barrister and Chair of the Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board for the Police Race Action Plan
  • Avtar Singh, HM Inspector of Probation
  • Sarah Coccia, Executive Director of South Public Sector Prisons –  HMPPS
Click here to watch a recording of the launch event

CJA Symposium: Improving Trust in the Criminal Justice System and Research, 3 March 2023

In March, the CJA, along with its partner University of Westminster, held its first academic symposium on the theme of improving trust in the criminal justice system and research. Over 100 delegates were in attendance, including academics, voluntary sector practitioners, statutory bodies, campaigners, people with lived experience and students from across the UK. 

Click here to read a blog about the event

How can we improve mental health in the criminal justice system?

At this Members Meeting, we welcomed a panel of experts to discuss how we can improve mental health in the criminal justice system. Watch the video below or read a blog summarising the key insights on improving mental health. We also heard from Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, about his goals and priorities for the next five years. Read our blog highlighting the key points from Charlie Taylor’s keynote speech.

Watch video

The role and future of policing

At this Members Meeting, an expert panel and members discussed the role of policing, how it should evolve over the next 20 years and how the legitimacy of the police could be strengthened. Watch the video or read a blog summarising the discussion.

Watch video

Building a diverse criminal justice workforce 

At this event held in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, we welcomed government ministers and experts from across the system to discuss how we can build a more diverse criminal justice workforce. Justice secretary Robert Buckland and shadow justice secretary David Lammy provided opening remarksWe also wrote a blog summarising the key insights from the event. 

Watch video

Tackling race disparity in the criminal justice system 

At this Members Meeting, justice minister Alex Chalk MP discussed the government’s response to the Lammy Review. This was followed by a panel of experts who set out how we can tackle race disparity in the criminal justice system. 

Watch video