Advocating for Reform

Explaining Restorative Justice in Colombia

Dan Van Ness, PFI’s Executive Director of the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation, recently travelled to Colombia to help PF Colombia in its ongoing efforts to promote restorative justice among criminal justice professionals.

Advocating for Restorative Justice in Nigeria

Participants in a recent one-day seminar organized by PF Nigeria discussed the chronic prison overcrowding in that country and explored solutions through alternatives to incarceration based on restorative justice.

Crime-Care Conference

In cooperation with Lotsha, a Christian networking organisation, PF South Africa recently hosted a one-day conference for churches with the theme, “Our Offenders, Our Victims, Our Responsibility.”

Constructing Restorative Justice in Lithuania

Recently, the Lithuanian Government approved Resolution 806 paving the way for implementing restorative justice in the country.

Focus on Prisoner Reintegration

The PF New Zealand 2007 annual conference, When Prisoners Come Home… A Community Response to Prisoner Reintegration, highlighted the many issues surrounding a prisoner’s release from prison.

PF Romania Advocates for the Protection of Vulnerable Groups

PF Romania is an organizing member of the European Network on Improving Equal Treatment and Human Dignity of Members of Vulnerable Groups Sentenced for a Penal Offence.

Rethinking Crime and Punishment

It’s a burgeoning problem that many may not even be aware of. The imprisonment rate in New Zealand has reached epidemic proportions—it is 164 per 100,000, double what it was in 1980 and now one of the highest in the world. The New Zealand Department of Corrections estimates that it costs $161.91 (NZD) per day for each prisoner, so the added prisoners result in an extra $141 million per year. And imprisonment does not seem to be changing the criminal behaviour of prisoners because 60 percent of all released prisoners re-offend within two years. As is the case in many countries, the issues surrounding crime and punishment are demanding new solutions.

PF Portugal Highlights Restorative Justice

This year’s Convocation theme of Love and Justice was an appropriate one for PF Portugal to use at its annual nationwide PF Volunteers Meeting. The Portuguese Government recently announced a proposal for an experimental penal mediation programme that would allow for alternative prison sentences in cases of crimes that would have required less than five years in prison.

Promoting Restorative Justice in Pakistan

Recently, PF Pakistan sponsored an introductory seminar on prison ministry and restorative justice for 40 individuals from the NGO Caritas Pakistan. The seminar was a part of a larger PF Pakistan strategy to promote restorative justice in the country.

Police Training in Colombia

In October 2006, PF Colombia Board Chairperson Lácides Hernandez served as an instructor in a training course covering restorative justice theory and practice for Medellín Metropolitan police.

Using Workshops to Advocate for Justice Reform

Justice reform is a priority for Prison Fellowship Ethiopia. One justice reform strategy is the organization of training workshops for all actors in the criminal justice system including police officers, judges, and prison directors. With the goal of building capacity in the justice system, these workshops cover different topics.

Advocating for Victims’ Rights in New Zealand

On September 7, PF New Zealand representatives addressed the New Zealand Justice and Electoral Committee Inquiry into Victims Rights. The PF NZ team recommended that the government strengthen victims’ access to victim offender conferencing and victim offender panels.

Promoting Alternatives in Swaziland

In early March 2006, PF Swaziland in partnership with the Swaziland Association for the Prevention of Offenders sponsored a seminar on non-custodial alternatives with a particular focus on community service.

Conference on Working with Juvenile Offenders in Poland

In February, the Polish Chaplaincy and PF Poland hosted a one-day conference for those working in the area of juvenile justice.

New Zealanders Visit Europe to Explore Possible Prison Reforms

From 30 January to 7 February, PF New Zealand executive director Kim Workman joined a governmental team on a fact finding trip to visit prisons in the UK, Finland, and the Netherlands. Organized by the New Zealand Minister of Corrections, the fact-finding team spoke with government and corrections officials, prison reformers, and community providers exploring alternative offender management models.

PF Swaziland Hosts Restorative Justice Seminar

In December 2005, PF Swaziland sponsored a restorative justice seminar for key justice system stakeholders. The one day seminar featured speakers from PFI, PF Swaziland, PF Lesotho and other organizations within Swaziland

Advocating for Restorative Justice in the Philippines

PF Philippines is a founding member of the Coalition for Restorative Justice formed in March 2005. This group of NGOs is seeking to integrate restorative programmes and practices throughout the Philippine Criminal Justice System.

Advancing Restorative Justice in Trinidad and Tobago

On 27 June 2005, PF Trinidad and Tobago held a one day conference titled “Restorative Justice the Model for Social Justice.”

Training Justice Officials in Ethiopia

Taking advantage of the government's Criminal Justice Reform programme, Prison Fellowship Ethiopia has developed training seminars for justice officials. From June to September 2004, PFE offered seminars on Human Rights and Criminal Justice in several locations with support from the Supreme Court of each region.

Promoting Restorative Justice in China

In December 2002, PF Hong Kong partnered with Nanjing University in China to host a series of events related to restorative justice.