Imagine a small chapel with stained glass windows, nestled among tall eucalypts and she-oaks. It looks like a peaceful place, but this chapel sits within a prison. Inside are fifteen men, eager to participate each week in a program they say differs to other courses they have attended – the Sycamore Tree Project.
“This program is different,” the men tell us. “Here we feel safe to share.”
“The difference,” says one prisoner, “Is that for the first time you feel accepted. In other programs you are being assessed by the facilitators, but here you are free to be yourself, and not be judged.”
At many times during the seven weeks of the program the prisoners shed tears, oblivious to the other prisoners surrounding them, openly sharing about how ashamed they were of the things they had done that had led to them being in prison.
Some said they could never forgive themselves for what they had done. In response, other prisoners encouraged them. They said that when they forgave themselves, they were free to become better people and make amends for what they had done… Prisoners teaching prisoners.
One week we discussed the ripple effect of crime, which stretches out to affect many other people beyond the primary victim.
A victim of crime told her story, sharing how she felt when a family member was convicted of an offence and went to prison. A couple of weeks later, one prisoner acknowledged that he had never considered the effect his crime had on some members of his family, so he had since written to them to ask for their forgiveness.
Prisoners shared the stories of their own childhoods, often full of traumas that had contributed to them being full of rage and bitterness. They supported each other by talking about the ripple effect of crime not having to define them.
One prisoner said “The ripples stop with me. I want my future to be different.”
At the final session, some prisoners read their reflections on what the program had meant to them. Many shared how they wanted every prisoner to have the opportunity to participate in the program, because of how life-changing it had been for them. They also asked the superintendent to increase the number of programs that are run each year. As a direct result of their witness, another program begins today, just one month later.
Flora, Sycamore Tree Facilitator
About the Sycamore Tree Project
“It was the most healing program I have ever done…” In select prisons around Australia, the Sycamore Tree Project is seeing prisoners’ and victims’ lives gain healing through a 7-week restorative justice program that brings the two together in a safe, caring environment to acknowledge the damage crime causes and how perpetrators can make amends.
The goal is to move beyond punishment, toward restoration. The Sycamore Tree Project helps inmates recognise that yes, crime is breaking the law, but it is more than that. Behind every crime are very real victims.
Inmates encounter the effect crimes have had on a group of victims (unrelated to their own crime), whose lives have been impacted in various ways – from victims of assault to family members who have tragically lost loved ones through criminal acts.
By humanising the victims of crimes, perpetrators are confronted with the ripple effect of their own offending – a realisation that often leads to genuine repentance. By sharing their stories, both victims and inmates (who have very often also been victims themselves) are given an avenue to process their pain and come to a place of healing.
Through the Sycamore Tree Project, prisoners learn about:
- taking responsibility for their crimes
- confession and repentance for their actions
- asking for and offering forgiveness
- making restitution and reconciliation where possible.
In the words of Dan*
“This program has reignited the hope that, as I continue to take practical steps towards changing my behaviour and the way I think – making restitution wherever possible – I can, and will be, a positive and productive person as I re-enter the community.
I am resolute with new energy to do whatever it takes to achieve this – there is no other option for me.
I cannot emphasise enough how instrumental the Sycamore Tree Project was and will be in my journey of healing, and can only hope and recommend that it is provided to everyone else in the future at this prison.”
Dan*, inmate and graduate of the Sycamore Tree Project
*Name has been changed
Thank you for creating a ripple effect of healing to help transform even the most broken lives.
YOUR GENEROUS GIFT can help reach more inmates with the life-changing power of the Sycamore Tree Project, making way for the ripple effect of repentance to heal the hurt of crime. Please donate today.
