2004 in Review

More than two out of every five PF National Ministries engaged in justice activity during 2004.  For some this has meant starting or running programmes such as Communities of Restoration (APAC) or Sycamore Tree Project. For others it has involved responding to national opportunities to promote justice system changes. Some countries done all of these.

The following tables show the growing involvement of National Ministries seeking to apply biblical principles of justice and righteousness in their justice systems.

National Ministry Justice Activities in 2004

• PF Argentina provided training on offender rehabilitation to prison officials
•  PF Argentina served as an advisor on the correctional system in one Argentine state
• PF Bolivia (Oruro) created mediation/conciliation offices
• PF Cambodia opened a Drop-in Centre to provide aftercare services
• PF CMNI hosted a restorative justice seminar
• PF Colombia participated in several forums on restorative justice sponsored by the government
• PF El Salvador participated in two National Forums Roundtables Analysing Criminal Justice Reform
• PF Ethiopia trained justice officials in Human Rights Standards and the Criminal Justice System
• PF Guam co-hosted a restorative justice seminar with the Department of Corrections
• PF Kenya participated in the Anti-Corruption Committee of the Department of Probation and Aftercare
• PF Kenya participated in the national committee on Community Service
• PF New Zealand implemented a victim awareness programme for prisoners
• PF Nigeria sponsored a seminar on restorative justice
• PF Panama advocated for changes in penal law
• PF Papua New Guinea participated in information sessions about the death penalty and violent crimes
• PF Philippines provided information sessions on restorative justice programmes
• PF Scotland received funding to research restorative justice programmes for the Scottish context
• PF Trinidad and Tobago participated in a government committee on offender reintegration
• PF USA published a new book on offender reintegration
• PF Zimbabwe opened a Open Prison for women
• PF Benin operating judiciary programme
• PF Cameroon working in the construction of a juvenile prison
• PF Burkina Faso providing legal assistance
• PF Estonia offering victims support service; victim offender mediation services, and work with legislature

Sycamore Tree Project®

As of 2004, the following Ministries were running or had ran the Sycamore Tree Project® (STP) at least once.

• PF Cayman Islands
• PF Colombia
• PF England and Wales
• PF Hungary
• PF Korea
• PF New Zealand
• PF Northern Ireland
• PF Rwanda
• PF Scotland
• PF South Africa
• PF USA

National ministries working toward implementation include:

• PF Argentina
• PF Canada
• PF Costa Rica
• PF Guam
• PF Hong Kong
• PF Palau
• PF Papua New Guinea
• PF the Netherlands

Communities of Restoration (APAC)

As of 2004, programmes based on the APAC-methodology are running in:

• PF Argentina
• PF Australia
• PF Bolivia
• PF Brazil
• PF Bulgaria
• PF Chile
• PF Ecuador
• PF England and Wales
• PF Germany
• PF Latvia
• PF New Zealand
• PF USA

Countries working toward implementation:

• PF Costa Rica
• PF Norway
• PF Scotland

PFICJR Onsite Assistance to National Ministries:

Dan Van Ness

• Latin America Caucus: met with national ministry leaders to discuss restorative justice initiatives
• PF Canada: spoke at several fundraising and volunteer recruitment events
• PF Colombia met with national political leaders, organizers of a restorative justice project in Cali, STP participants, and Medellín municipal officials
• PF Jamaica: met with Permanent Secretary of Justice, PF Jamaica and church leaders to plan a project to increase church participation in restorative justice
• PF Northern Ireland: spoke at a restorative justice conference; made presentation on restorative justice to board members and volunteers; and appeared on two radio programmes

Graeme Taylor

• Provided STP training to:
• • North America and Caribbean Caucus
  • PF Australia (New South Wales and Victoria)
  • PF Canada
  • PF Hungary
  • PF Norway
  • PF Palau
• PF New Zealand: assisted with selecting an evaluation tool for STP

Miguel Tello

• PF Colombia: consulted on creation of possible restorative justice programmes
• PF Costa Rica: provided STP training and assisted with APAC implementation
• PF Mexico: provided STP training

PFICJR Long Distance Assistance to National Ministries:

• PF Colombia: prepared a briefing paper on possibilities of restorative justice in repatriating AUC paramilitary soldiers
• PF Trinidad and Tobago: provided information on restorative justice in schools
• PF Trinidad and Tobago: provided information on ministry to victims
• PF Georgia: provided information on restorative justice in Russian
• PF Australia (Victoria): provided information on victim awareness programmes
• PF Solomon Islands: provided information on rehabilitation of offenders in the community
• PF Guam: provided information on faith-based programmes similar to the APAC- methodology
• PF Kenya: provided information on restorative justice in regards to community service
• PF the Netherlands: prepared a memo for the justice department describing APAC and IFI.
• PF Romania: provided information on reintegrating offenders back into their families
• PF Cambodia: provided information and resources on aftercare programmes and training materials on conflict resolution
• PF Canada: provided information on aftercare programmes
• PF Channel Islands: provided information on restorative justice in child protection cases
• PF El Salvador: provided research gangs and programmes addressing gang violence

Restorative Justice Week

• Created and distributed study on restorative justice, Building Peace, Building Right Relationships.

PFICJR Websites:

• Launched a new website with improved programme information
• Twelve editions of the Justice Network Newsletter published
• Four editions of Global APAC newsletter published (Mario Diaz Velez and Angus Creighton)
• Ten editions of Under the Tree Newsletter (STP) (Graeme Taylor)

Consultations:

• Dan attended a UN Meeting of Experts to prepare a workshop for the 2005 UN Crime Congress
• Dan held RJ City Focus Group meetings in England and USA
• Miguel made a presentation on restorative justice to Habitat for Humanity Staff
• Miguel made a presentation to the Costa Rican Ministry of the Interior on peacemaking circles

Papers and Articles

Dan

• Victim Offender Mediation Programmes. paper presented Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature in France
• Justice that Restores: From Impersonal to Personal Justice. In Criminal Justice: Retribution vs. Restoration. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work 23(1/2): 93-109.

Lynette 

• Restorative Justice: A Vehicle for Reform?. presentation at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Latin American Studies Association. Las Vegas, October 7-9, 2004.

Miguel 

• Restorative justice presentation to the Network of Christian Lawyers of Latin America

UN Activities

• Lynette attended 4 meetings of the Alliance on NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. She also chaired a working party preparing for the 2005 UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
• Miguel Tello attended the Latin America Regional Preparatory meeting for the 2005 Crime Congress.

Restorative Justice Online

• Twelve editions
• 995 abstracts added to the searchable database

See information for 2003