
Inside out: how does an in-prison victim awareness programme affect recidivism?
This dissertation examines the Sycamore Tree Programme (STP), a programme
delivered inside prisons that seeks to utilise the rehabilitative opportunities
imprisonment offers by combining it with the essential element of Restorative Justice
(RJ): a meeting between offender, victim, and the community. The name Sycamore Tree
is taken from the Biblical story of Zacchæus (Zac), the corrupt tax collector, who
climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus (Luke, 19:3-5). He becomes a symbolic offender.
Jesus noticed him, called him down and they met over a meal. The meeting changed
Zac’s life, which he demonstrated by making restitution to his victims and giving half
of his wealth to the poor. This story provides the restorative elements of a meeting,
mediation, and reparation/restitution.
Last modified 2007-11-03 01:33
