Sycamore Tree Project

Prison Fellowship International’s unique victim/offender mediation programme has had a dramatic affect on participating prisoners.  The Sycamore Tree Project® brings victims into prisons to meet with unrelated offenders in an intensive 8-12 week course in which they discuss the consequences of crime.  The results are profound for both victims and prisoners.  A recent survey of more than 2,000 prisoner participants showed an improvement in their empathy toward crime victims and their recognition of the harm their individual offences have caused, as well as a decreased sense that crime is worth the cost.

The programme was named after the story in Luke 19:1-10 about Jesus and Zacchaeus, a dishonest tax collector. Zacchaeus came to see Jesus but couldn't get through the crowd. So he climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view. Jesus noticed him and stopped to talk. Out of that meeting came something unexpected; Zacchaeus repented and agreed to pay back his victims. Jesus then helped the crowd understand the reconciling power of restorative justice. 

The Sycamore Tree Project^® has been used in Australia, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, England and Wales, Hong Kong, Hungary, Korea, New Zealand, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Panama, Philippines, Rwanda, Scotland, South Africa, and the USA.

To learn more about Sycamore Tree Project^®, visit the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation website.