David Eagleson was deputy director of the NI Prison Service and has held leadership roles in a number of prisons. David had an interesting vantage point at a key period of our history, working within the Maze Prison in the run up to the release of prisoners under the 1998 peace deal.  It is that pressure cooker time, he says, helped fuel a passion he has for restorative justice.  

In this conversation he shares some powerful stories of bringing victims and perpetrators together with the aim of helping people find answers & peace.  David has recently retired but is now lobbying for restorative practises to be more widely used in prisons. 

His is a perspective we don’t hear too often and offers interesting insight into the burdens and stories that people with proximity to the Troubles continue to carry.  David also shares his hopes for this place and lays down a challenge for much more courageous conversation making to take place.