Admitting guilty to manslaughter, Jacob Dunne is sentenced to 30 months in prison which James’s parents find woefully inadequate for the loss of their son.  On his release from prison Jacob finds himself without purpose and support but a worker (Shalisha James-Davis) from a Restorative Justice charity explains the scheme. 

At the interval, despite the power of David Shields’ almost singular narrative, I wasn’t really immersed in this play feeling despair at Jacob and his friends and their criminal and loutish behaviour.  Everything changed after the interval and I spent most of it welling up with tears and feeling I was seeing a very special play.

Through the Restorative Justice scenes, conversations take place separately with Jacob and with James’ parents. Joan and David want to know exactly what happened and have questions for Jacob which are written down and replied to in writing.  Joan, in an act of remarkable thoughtfulness asks Jacob what he will do now he is released from prison. From this most unexpected quarter is someone thinking about his future.

He signs up to college and takes three GCSEs at the same time as Sam his younger brother who is 7 years younger.  A meeting is proposed between James’s parents and Jacob.  There is emotion and nervousness on both sides and David Shields as Jacob often looks away or looks down but this has been explained to Joan and David so it is expected and not taken as disengagement on his part.  David says he cannot shake the hand that killed his son.