http://www.pficjr.org View a listing of all the justice reform news from PF national organisations in the Pacific. daily 1 2007-11-29T00:46:55Z http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/pf-fiji-launches-re-entry-project Recently, PF Fiji launched Operation Second Chance to assist prisoners in their transition from prison to the community. Funded in part by the Australian Agency for International Development, the re-entry programme will help prisoners address issues of addiction, personal health, relationships, and life-skills. Twenty high-risk offenders have been chosen for the pilot based on their willingness to participate and recommendations from prison staff. No publisher lparker Country:Fiji Reentry Region:Pacific Aftercare News 2008-10-01T11:58:13Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/sycamore-tree-project-ae-in-the-solomon-islands A recent newspaper headline from the Solomon Islands reads, “Prisoners find way to reconcile with victims.’ The article refers to the recent celebration ceremony of Sycamore Tree Project® run by Prison Fellowship Solomon Islands in Rove Central Prison in Honiara. No publisher lparker News STP Country:Soloman Islands Region:Pacific 2008-08-28T13:09:09Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/sycamore-tree-projectae-in-the-community Recently, the PF Australia chapter in New South Wales completed its first Sycamore Tree Project® pilot project in the community. This pilot worked with both ex-prisoners and offenders on community sentences. The offender participants volunteer for the programme because they are required to complete a certain number of prescribed courses as a term of their sentences. Sycamore Tree is only one in a range of courses. No publisher lparker News Country:Australia STP Region:Pacific 2008-07-09T11:22:11Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/helping-prisoners-and-communities-reconcile In late 2007, PF Papua New Guinea (PFPNG) worked with the government’s Community Justice Liaison Unit (CJLU) to organise and support prisoners from Bomana prison through a reconciliation event in their home village. No publisher lparker Restorative justice News Country:Papua New Guinea Region:Pacific 2008-04-01T17:13:38Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/new-zealand-faith-based-unit-impacted-by-lockdown In late 2007, the New Zealand Department of Corrections implemented an extended time of lockdown for prisoners due to various staffing and budget constraints. In many prisons, including Rimutaka Prison housing the PF New Zealand Faith-based Unit, prisoners are locked in their cells from 5:00pm until 8:00am. While posing challenges to the activities of PF New Zealand volunteers in all programmes, the new lockdown policy offers unique problems for the faith-based unit. No publisher lparker News Country:New Zealand Region:Pacific APAC 2008-01-30T13:04:47Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/Resources/documents/080121%20Restorative%20%20%20Reintegration.pdf There are around 8000 prisoners currently in the prison system. There will be a further 1000 prisoners in the system by 2011. Around 9000 prisoners are released from prison each year. About 50% of all released prisoners will receive a Corrections reintegration plan on leaving. The remaining 4,500 will get their $350 and a bus ticket. The first 3 – 6 months is the crucial period for released prisoners. Many prisoners walk out of prison, determined to make a new start. The first 3 – 6 months are critical. They need help with housing, employment, debt management, and family and community relationships. If they get help from mentors and the community in the first six months, the chance of them reoffending drops by around 40%. If they face barriers, red tape, and stigmatization, it becomes difficult to keep on the straight and narrow. That is where Prison Fellowship comes in. Over the last four years, Prison Fellowship has developed a holistic approach to prisoner reintegration known as “Restorative Reintegration” No publisher lparker Aftercare Region:Pacific Country:New Zealand Reentry 2008-06-25T20:52:53Z File http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/201ctoday-i-got-to-speak201d Trembling from fear as they neared the massive prison, Fiona and Helen both felt the urge to just keep driving and avoid meeting the offenders who waited for them behind the gates. They were on their way to take part in PF Australia’s Sycamore Tree Project® (STP) at Acacia Prison near Perth in Western Australia. No publisher lparker News Country:Australia STP Region:Pacific 2007-11-05T16:12:58Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/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. No publisher lparker Reform Reentry Region:Pacific Country:New Zealand Aftercare News 2007-12-05T12:52:40Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/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. No publisher lparker Region:Pacific Country:New Zealand Reform 2007-03-30T19:30:41Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/donate Furthering the reconciliation work that is initiated by the Sycamore Tree Project® (STP), Prison Fellowship Western Australia has set up a Victim Relief Fund that encourages prisoners to donate to crime victims. No publisher james Region:Pacific Amends Country:Australia STP 2007-03-13T14:28:00Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/victimsnz 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. No publisher james Region:Pacific Country:New Zealand Victim Reform 2006-09-29T18:42:43Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/png Recently, Uvenama Rova of PF Papua New Guinea gave a presentation on restorative justice to a Women’s Fellowship Workshop of the United Church of Papua New Guinea. No publisher james Restorative justice Region:Pacific Country:PNG 2006-08-31T11:54:24Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/nzeurope 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. No publisher james Region:Pacific Country:New Zealand Reform 2007-12-05T12:51:39Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/nzreconciliation PF New Zealand has developed a programme bringing victims face-to-face with their offenders. Generally taking place in the prison setting, these safely-structured and facilitated meetings provide victims with the opportunity to tell their story and ask questions of their offenders. Offenders chance to learn how their crime truly impacted the victim and to express remorse for their behaviour. The following story illustrates the potential of victim-offender encounters to create a space for healing. No publisher james Restorative justice Region:Pacific Country:New Zealand 2007-12-05T12:40:09Z News Item http://www.pficjr.org/newsitems/littestimony Lives in Transition is a 16-week intensive pre- and post-release programme operated by PF Australia (Victoria). In this article, Robert, a programme graduate, describes how the programme caused him to see the reality of his offending and to seek a meeting to apologise to his victim. No publisher james News Region:Pacific Country:Australia APAC 2008-03-07T12:13:32Z News Item