Stories from North America and the Caribbean
Please click on the story headline to read the full article.
- PF Brazil Signs Agreement with the Government of Minas Gerais
- In late June, PF Brazil signed a cooperative agreement with the Secretary of Social Defence of the State of Minas Gerais.
- Hungary’s President Visits PF’s APAC
- In May, President Sólyom Láslo visited VAC prison in response to an invitation by the Hungarian Association of Prison Chaplains. During the visit Mr. Láslo met with officials from the prison administration, 70 prison chaplains, and PF Hungary volunteers. He also spent 45 minutes in PF Hungary’s APAC programme where he heard testimonies from participants and listened to the APAC choir sing.
- Raising Community Awareness in Swaziland
- In April, PF Swaziland participated in an awareness raising event aimed to help community leaders in the country’s Lubombo region understand the proposed community service programme. Organised by the Commissioner of Correctional Services, the meeting included several stakeholders: Correctional services, local chiefs, the Swaziland Association for Crime Prevention and the Rehabilitation of Offenders (SACRO), National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA), and PF Swaziland.
- Exploring alternatives in Finland
- During the last year, PF Finland organized two seminars for staff from different churches and faith communities working in prison. About one-third of the seminar agenda included justice topics discussing the roles that faith communities can serve in such work.
- PF Rwanda Receives Grant for Reconciliation Work
- Recently, PF Rwanda received a two-year grant from the Embassy of Belgium in Kigali. The grant will support the ministry’s restorative justice activities both in prison and in the community. The goal is to strengthen the understanding of restorative justice at various levels and support peaceful coexistence in communities where those guilty of crimes during the 1994 genocide and survivors are living side-by-side.
- Curbing Recidivism
- A PF Barbados' representative recently participated in the country's national symposium on Recidivism and Re-entry, explaining PF programmes and stressing the importance of successful re-entry.
- PF Scotland Continues to Expand the Sycamore Tree Project®
- Since implementing the Sycamore Tree Project® in 2003, PF Scotland has worked to expand its coverage in various prisons. In its recent newsletter, the ministry reported that the programme has adapted well for the Scottish context being fully established in four prisons with another two beginning implementation.
- PF CNMI Reaching Out to Churches through STP
- In mid-April, PF CNMI facilitated a two-night training seminar for seven churches in Saipan. Hosted by the Life in the Son Church, the training sought to:
- Sycamore Tree Project® in Kenya
- In mid-March, PF Kenya finished the first Sycamore Tree Project® in Kamiti Medium Security Prison near Nairobi. Nineteen inmates participated in the programme with George Karimi – PF Kenya executive director – and Silas Musyoka serving as facilitators.
- STP Facilitator Experiences
- A recent Master’s thesis from the Notre Dame University of Australia explores the experiences of STP facilitators and facilitator assistants in Western Australia. The author, Jean Mackenzie, said that her purpose was to “describe in detail the experience of facilitating, or assisting in facilitating, groups participating in a restorative justice program….”
