Sycamore Tree Project® News from CNMI
Having run Sycamore Tree Project® in prisons since 2008, PF Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) realised that the programme’s restorative justice principles could be applied outside the prison community. So in early 2009, the ministry trained a group of pastors and church lay leaders to use STP with their congregations. During one of these sessions at the Cornerstone Christian Church, a member said the course helped him gain a fresh perspective on crime from the standpoint of offenders and victims alike.
PF CNMI continues to work with the Department of Corrections to find space and times to continue to run the programme. Recently, Femie Rey, executive director, reported:: “Those who have gone through the course are also reading books coming from PFCNMI and various churches. They are also attending Bible studies conducted by other groups.”
December 2009
