Crime affects everyone in society. We are all actual or potential victims of crime and, as citizens who want a safe and well-ordered society, we are all interested in the effectiveness of the criminal justice system to apprehend, prosecute, convict and punish those who commit criminal offences. The criminal justice system has a broad reach, encompassing the police, members of the legal profession and judiciary, social workers, prison officers, the probation service and the Parole Board, experts involved in drug and alcohol treatment programmes, victim support services and many more. Ordinary people are potential participants in the criminal justice system if called to jury service. Everyone, therefore, has something valuable to contribute to the conversations about crime and justice. This means that there is a wealth of knowledge, expertise and opinion ‘out there’ about crime and justice but the great challenge for academics is how to access this data and how to make connections between the different perspectives and viewpoints. The World Café offers a solution to this challenge but providing an environment in which these important conversations about crime, its consequences and possible solutions can take place.