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Restorative Justice Links
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PFI Centre for Justice and
Reconciliation |
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Real Justice |
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Restorative Justice Aotearoa |
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Ministry of Justice |
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Restorative Justice Programs
Prison Fellowship delivers two in prison restorative
justice programs:
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Victim Offender Conferences
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The Sycamore Tree Project
In-Prison Victim-Offender Conferencing
Prison Fellowship is the primary provider of in-prison
victim-offender conferences.
The programme involves facilitating safely-structured
meetings in prisons, between those who have suffered from a crime,
and the actual offender.
While most of the conferences are initiated by offenders, in the
last twelve months four were initiated by victims.
In 2006, the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Helen Clark
identified ‘in-prison
victim-offender conferencing’ as part of the government’s “Effective
Interventions” program.
However, the initiative has failed to attract government funding.
Prison Fellowship currently deals with around 50 referrals
annually, and funds the program through donor funding...
Sycamore Tree Project
The Sycamore Tree Program is an example of a victim offender panel.
Attendance at a victim impact panel assists prisoners to
begin the rehabilitation process that will lead to a reduction in
their re-offending.
Sycamore Tree takes its name from the Bible story of Zaccheus.
The crooked tax collector had come to see Jesus, but he was disliked
by the crowd and had to climb a sycamore tree to see him. Jesus
noticed him and let him know he cared about him. Many in the crowd
found that hard to accept; they’d been victims of Zaccheus’ crimes.
But out of the meeting came something unexpected: Zaccheus agreed to
pay back even more than he had stolen. It was a demonstration of the
biblical meaning of justice.
The Sycamore Tree program provides a facilitated forum for crime
victims to tell a group of offenders about the impact of the crime
on their lives and on the lives of their families, friends, and
neighbours. The
particular offenders of the victim participants are not present but
the types of crimes committed are often matched to participants.
The goals of victim impact panels are to:
a)
assist victims in their healing process, and to
b)
enable prisoners to:
i.
Understand the impact of their own crime
ii.
Take responsibility for their actions
iii.
Be aware of the needs of victims
iv.
Recognise opportunities for individual change and restoration.
Other Resources
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