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A Simple Burglary
It looked like a tornado had hit, but what really happened felt much worse. Greet didn’t recognise her own home. Drawers were turned upside down, papers lay all over the floor, the shelves and tables that once held her most prized possessions were now bare. Her favourite jewellery, which held deep sentimental value and had been passed down from generations, was gone.
Greet’s home, where she once felt warm and safe, was now a chilling reminder of her vulnerability. Her grief over the loss of her belongings and her sense of security soon turned to anger and bitterness toward the burglars who had trespassed in her home. But eventually, after
asking for God’s help, she was able to forgive the unseen intruders. So, when PF Netherlands asked Greet to take part in their first victim/offender mediation programme,PF’s Sycamore Tree Project®, she readily agreed and soon found herself speaking face-to-face with prisoners who had burglarized other victims’ homes.
Greet told them how even now, long after the burglary, she still feels unsafe in her own home and fears that it will happen again. The participating prisoners were so moved by her story that they all signed a card for her at the conclusion of the 8-week course. “I was not aware
that a simple burglary could have so much impact,” said one of the participants, “I now know how a victim must feel.”
The experience made a “deep impression on Greet,” says Esther Klaassen, PF Netherlands Project Coordinator. Greet said she was thankful for the experience and was pleased that she could “help them [the prisoners] think about the effect of crime.”
In addition to launching the Sycamore Tree Project®, known in the Netherlands as “Spreken over Schuld (SOS),” meaning “Speaking about Guilt, Community and Victims,” PF has also begun a similar project for short-term prisoners that is offered weekly. Though this programme
does not involve victims, participants talk about guilt, responsibility, forgiveness and choices. All sessions use a tested curriculum and are led by trained facilitators.
