Through this programme, PF Zimbabwe offers the opportunity for prisoners or ex-prisoners to have a face-to-face meeting with those impacted by their crime: their families, their victims and/or the victim's family, and community leaders. The process allows these parties gain a greater understanding of the crime, how it affected everyone, and how the ex-offender can return to and reintegrate into his/her community.  It is generally initiated by the offender.

PF Zimbabwe receives requests for victim offender reconciliation in various ways. First, through the general course of their in-prison work including preaching and counselling, the ministry may receive a request from a prisoner who would like to offer an apology to his/her victim. Upon receiving such a request, ministry volunteers meet with the victim to explain the process, the request from the prisoner, and what they know of this person. A victim's agreement to participate is a positive step in the direction of healing and reconciliation.

The second type of request comes from ex-prisoners upon release. If they have been rejected by their communities or fear violence from their victims, they can seek assistance through the victim offender reconciliation programme. The following case description offers a glimpse of how this process may work.

After serving a 10 year prison sentence for murder, Johanne was rejected by his family, feared as a callous-hearted murder by his community, and threatened with revenge from his victim's family. To assist Johanne, PF Zimbabwe allowed him to stay in the ministry's halfway house for six months as they worked with the different parties.

When they still had not reached a resolution after six months, the PF Zimbabwe executive director took Johanne into his home. During this time, PF Zimbabwe volunteers continued to work with Johanne's family, and the family of his victim. The ministry also met with local village leaders to ask their views on the situation and ask them to assist in the reintegration of the ex-offender. After two years Johanne was allowed to return to his community and his family.  

According to Peter Mandianike, PF Zimbabwe executive director, these post-release cases generally have three results:

• The ex-offender asks for and receives forgiveness.
• The ex-offender offers to return stolen or destroyed property or to compensate the family in some way. In some cases, some ex-offenders have offered to support the victim's family.
• Most of the forgiven and accepted ex-offenders are back in their communities of origin doing productive work.

July 2008