Sycamore Tree

Sycamore Tree Project (STP)

Transform, Restore & Reconcile lives in our communities

An internationally accredited Prison Fellowship program, coming from the story of Zacchaeus and the Sycamore Tree, that offers support to both offenders and victims and encourages both to help each other toward healing and restoration. Sycamore Tree is a 5-8 session program and can run inside correctional centres or as part of a post release program.

Based on biblical principles of restoring individuals and communities and of viewing crime not only as breaking a law but as damaging relationships, this program is run in many countries with great restorative effect - Sycamore Tree Project - International

The Sycamore Tree Project brings together unrelated victims and offenders (that is, they are not each others' victims and offenders). Using a curriculum guide prepared by Prison Fellowship, a facilitator leads the participants to consider the following concepts in the context of crime and justice:

Responsibility
Confession
Repentance
Forgiveness
Making amends
Reconciliation

Sycamore Tree promotes healing and restoration of the participants, a greater understanding and acknowledgement of the effects of crime and promotes reconciliation and restitution as integral to justice. Sycamore Tree requires courage and patience from all parties, as many strong emotions are brought forward in hopes of transformation, restoration and reconciliation.The Sycamore Tree Project is a bold step that prompts toward significant change in the way we manage crime and justice.

What’s in it for:

Offenders
They are able to gain new perspectives on the damaging effects of offending behaviour and attitudes. They are helped to find pathways to changing offending behaviour and attitudes. They are assisted to find pathways for restitution, ‘doing sorry’.

Victims
They are able to share their painful story in a caring environment. They help offenders to understand the breadth of pain caused by offending behaviours and attitudes. They are helped toward healing of their pain and gaining a restorative perspective to crime

Communities
As both victims and offenders are help toward healing, new life-perspectives and fresh restorative motivations, communities become safer and more harmonious.

The Church
A tremendous opportunity to demonstrate the core of God’s heart and passion for reconciliation and restoration.

In 2008, NSW trialed a new adaptation of the Sycamore Tree Project. The difference was the use of ex-inmates to represent offenders instead of current inmates. The trial was deemed a success and now awaits development for further implementation.

Sycamore Tree can be an introduction to further Restorative Justice initiatives - Corrective Services NSW Restorative Justice Unit

The Sycamore Tree Project would not be possible without the cooperation of the Community Offenders Services unit of the NSW Department of Corrective Service.

Transform, Restore & Reconcile lives in our communities

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