National Affiliates and Children in Conflict with the Law

PF El Salvador signs agreement to implement a community service project

In August 2011, PF El Salvador signed a cooperation agreement with USAID to deliver oversight and organisational services for a community service alternative for juvenile offenders. The agreement provides financial and technical assistance with the national ministry offering a range of project options to various juvenile courts in municipalities located in the department of San Salvador.

Alternatives for juveniles in Bulgaria

Recently I provided restorative conferencing training for Prison Fellowship Bulgaria (PF Bulgaria) and several of its partner agencies. The twenty participants represented different public and non-governmental organisations including the Department for Child Protection, the Anti-bullying Commission of Vratsa, the Cultural Centre of Vratsa, the Probation Department, Caritas- Ruse and PF Bulgaria.

Reaching the marginalized in Lesotho

In late August, PF Lesotho partnered with World Vision for a three day workshop titled “Community Building Agents.” Serving 20 young males known as “herd boys” the workshop sought to raise awareness about the harm of crime and the responsibility for actions taken.

Faciliter la Justice Réparatrice au Lesotho

Chaque mois de Novembre, PF Lesotho organise plusieurs événements pour commémorer la Semaine de la Justice Réparatrice. Pour 2009, le ministère avait l'intention de poursuivre l'approche à faible coût de l'envoi de volontaires dans les églises pour encourager la participation à la commémoration et d'enseigner les concepts de justice réparatrice. Toutefois, un appel téléphonique du Ministre de la Justice, des Droits de l'Homme et le Service Correctionnel a changé leurs plans.

Facilitando la Justicia Restaurativa en Lesotho

Cada noviembre, PF Lesotho organiza varios eventos para conmemorar la semana de la Justicia Restaurativa. Para el 2009, el ministerio tenía la intención de buscar el camino de bajo costo consistente en enviar voluntarios a las iglesias para fomentar la participación en la conmemoración y enseñanza de los conceptos de la justicia restaurativa. Sin embargo, una llamada telefónica del Ministro de Justicia, Derechos Humanos y Servicio Correccional, cambiaron sus planes.

Facilitating Restorative Justice in Lesotho

Each November, PF Lesotho organises several events to commemorate Restorative Justice Week. For 2009, the ministry had intended to pursue the low cost approach of sending volunteers into churches to encourage participation in the commemoration and teach about the concepts of restorative justice. However, a phone call from the Minister of Justice, Human Rights and the Correctional Service changed their plans.

Diverting Juvenile Offenders Away from Courts in South Africa

In response to prison overcrowding and the negative impact of incarceration on young offenders, PF South Africa launched a juvenile diversion project known as The Fig Tree Project. Targeting first-time, non-violent offenders and students in danger of expulsion from secondary school (grades 8-12), the Fig Tree Project offers a community alternative to incarceration.

New Programme Taps Prisoners’ Creativity

PF Netherlands continues to see growth among the prisoner participants in their Sycamore Tree Project® for youth, known as SOS (Spreken over Schuld). One prisoner participant recently noted that it has been difficult to think about the harm he has caused others and the bad choices he’s made, “but, I kept coming to SOS, and now I am glad I did,” he says.

PF Germany Celebrates 5 Years of Prisma

On 14 September, an estimated 1,000 people participated in the five year anniversary celebration of the Prisma programme at Youth Farm Seehaus. Various speakers praised the work of Prisma including the mayor of Leonberg and the department chief from the Ministry of Justice in Baden- Wuerttemberg State.

Speaking for the Forgotten

The old adage, “children are to be seen and not heard,” was not supposed to apply to the justice system. Unfortunately, children can often become voiceless victims in an overburdened justice system that is lacking in resources. That is what Vijula Arulanantham, PF Sri Lanka Board chairperson, discovered when visiting a juvenile remand home recently. The children here were not all offenders. Many were victims— street children abandoned or neglected.

Discovering Forgiveness

Helping prisoners to see the consequences of their crimes and feel remorse for their actions is what Prison Fellowship’s Sycamore Tree Project® is all about. One of the ways the programme accomplishes this is by showing offenders the impact that crime has on victims. Such was the case for juvenile prisoners (ages 16 and 17) taking part in PF Netherlands’ Sycamore Tree Project® known there as “Spreken over Schuld (SOS),” which means, “Speaking about Guilt.”

Helping Youth

A group of young men between the ages of 16 and 18 were the first to participate in PF Netherlands’ new Sycamore Tree Project®, held recently at the Youth Prison Teylingereind in Sassenheim.

National Celebration Recognizes PF Germany’s Prisma Programme

On 22 September, around 700 people gathered at Seehaus Leonberg, the farm site of PF Germany’s alternative to prison programme for young offenders called PRISMA. The gathering was a part of the ‘Germany Land of Ideas’ celebration highlighting 365 buisness, projects, institutions, etc as landmarks of inventiveness and creativity in Germany. One landmark is recognised each day of the year.

Conference on Working with Juvenile Offenders in Poland

The Polish Chaplaincy and PF Poland hosted a one-day conference for those working in the area of juvenile justice.