Organisation Restorative Stories
About this Profile
Profile source: An interview on behalf of the NED Foundation.
- Co-ordinator
About the Organisation
The Sycamore Tree Project is a 7 week encounter between crime survivors and perpetrators of crime, in a prison setting.
The group of 8-10 participants are guided through a range of discussion topics which include empathy, the effect of crime, taking responsibility for actions, behaviour change, forgiveness and making amends. Small group and large group discussion formats are used across the program.
There is a graduation ceremony at the completion of the course and the victims, who had originally told their stories to the prisoners are able to attend, along with prominent figures from prisons, government, universities and the courts.
The program involves victims telling their stories to a group of prisoners, although the offenders are not the ones who have caused the harm to those victims attending the meeting.
This process has proved to be very powerful for both victim and inmate, and is particularly helpful for victims who aren't able to meet their direct perpetrator, such as when their perpetrator has not been found or their case has not come before the court.
Hearing victim's stories allow offenders to realise the trauma their actions have caused, and even though they are not facing the victim of their crime, they are listening to the effect other crimes have had. The collaborative format frequently leads these "natural enemies" to form friendships.
The program was originally developed by Dan Van Ness, and Prison Fellowship is recognised internationally as the leading organisation for the adoption of Restorative Justice within the prison system. Restorative Justice has great potential for assisting prisoners to become aware of the consequences of their actions.
Those who work in the program have:
- An in depth knowledge of the prison system and an understanding of the challenges that the system brings.
- An awareness of cross cultural interaction and the sensitivities related to those issues.
- An understanding of the issues surrounding trauma for both victims and offenders. Through the program, many inmates come to understand they are not only perpetrators, but also victims.
- Experience in understanding those who are repeat offenders and the effectiveness of various programs on such individuals.
Organisations that support victims of crime have been very supportive of the program. The program has been used in over 35 countries and has been run in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.
- Charity
- Private prison system
- Public prison system
- Facilitation
- Restorative Practice meetings