Prison Fellowship International

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Prison Fellowship International
legal form Non-governmental organization
founding 1979
founder Charles Colson
Seat Washington, DC , Singapore and Leonberg
main emphasis Help for children of prisoners, restorative justice , prison chaplaincy , judicial reform, rehabilitation of prisoners, reconciliation between victims and perpetrators
method Sponsorships, practical help, pastoral care, judicial reform
Action space 117 countries
people President and CEO: Andy Corley
sales $ 8,052,846 (2016)
Volunteers 66,000
Website www.pfi.org , www.restorativejustice.org

Prison Fellowship International ( PFI ) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with independent national member organizations in 117 countries. PFI is active in the field of Christian free criminal assistance, advocates the rehabilitation of prisoners, reconciliation between victims and perpetrators, help for families of prisoners and the implementation of restorative justice .

history

Charles Colson , a former American politician, founded Prison Fellowship Ministries in the United States in 1976 . He was previously a special advisor to President Richard Nixon . He was jailed for seven months because of the Watergate affair . After the experience in prison, he founded the Christian organization to support prisoners. After getting to know similar initiatives in Great Britain and India , the international association Prison Fellowship International was formed in 1979. PFI is a Christian, ecumenical organization that works with all Christian churches, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or free church. It wants to support prisoners, those released from prison, their families and victims of crime - regardless of their origin, religion or orientation. PFI has had advisory status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 1983 and has taken a leading role in the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Prison Fellowship International works through three regional offices to support its member organizations: Washington, DC , Singapore , Leonberg

Programs and work areas

Center for Justice and Reconciliation

PFI is committed to the implementation of restorative justice, "reparative justice". The focus should be on the victim's perspective, reparation should become the determining principle of criminal law and victims, perpetrators and society should be actively involved in the process. Dan van Ness, one of the leading figures in the field of restorative justice, heads the center, which aims to help its member organizations to fight injustice and develop reparative principles, guidelines and programs.

The center operates the Restorative Justice Online website, providing a global information platform for restorative justice for its member organizations, governments, the United Nations , and other organizations and researchers.

PFI has developed the program "Sycamore Tree Project" (Victims and perpetrators in conversation), in which victims and perpetrators who are not directly related to one another come together to discuss the consequences of the crime. The program is used in more than 30 countries.

In Rwanda , the program was further developed to work with perpetrators of the genocide in Rwanda in the prisons and to help them publicly confess their deeds and seek forgiveness. This resulted in reconciliation villages in which perpetrators and victims live side by side, helped each other to build their houses and run cooperatives together . There are now eight reconciliation villages with 820 houses and 4,000 residents.

The model was carried over to Colombia as a contribution to the peace and reconciliation process after the armed conflict . In the Villages of Reconciliation, former guerrilla fighters, paramilitaries and victims of the conflict take part in the "Conversation between victims and perpetrators" program and work together to rebuild destroyed infrastructure in their villages.

Help for children and families of prisoners

PFI supports children of prisoners in different countries. Many of these children are marginalized and exposed to poverty, hunger, violence and exploitation. The risk that these children will later become criminals themselves is between three and seven times higher. Through sponsorships and other aid programs will ensure that the children can have a safe place of residence, enough to eat and get medical care and participate in social life. In Germany the aid is organized by the Hope Bearers Foundation . In addition to child sponsorships, the families of prisoners in some countries are supported through sustainable projects and help for self-help . In Cambodia , families of prisoners receive microloans with which they can purchase a starter kit for raising chickens.

Spiritual accompaniment of prisoners

PFI developed the Prisoner's Journey program to help prisoners deal with their feelings of hopelessness and despair. The "Prisoner's Journey" is based on the experiences of Jesus as a prisoner.

APAC prison programs

Prison Fellowship Brazil developed the APAC method in 1972, in which prisoners run prisons under self-administration with the help of Prison Fellowship employees. In Brazil, 49 prisons with over 5000 prisoners are being implemented using the APAC method. The model is now at least partially available in over 10 countries, mostly as a section in a conventional prison.

Prison Fellowship worldwide

The member organizations in 117 countries are each independent and implement the vision of Prison Fellowship International in different ways, depending on the needs in the country. a. through individual discussions, discussion groups, church services, practical help through medical care, legal assistance, the supply of food, school education, training opportunities, the improvement of living conditions, sports and cultural events, aftercare facilities, microcredits for women of prisoners, support for families of prisoners, Help for victims of crime, reconciliation programs and judicial reform.

Prison Fellowship in Germany

Seehaus eV is the German member organization of Prison Fellowship International. The association was founded in 2001 by Tobias Merckle. Seehaus eV is active in the field of youth welfare, crime prevention and victim support. He runs the Seehaus Leonberg and the Seehaus Leipzig as "youth penal institutions in free form" as well as victim and trauma counseling centers. The concept for the Seehaus Leonberg and the Seehaus Leipzig is based on the APAC method.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Telegraph, Charles Colson , telegraph.co.uk, UK, April 22, 2012
  2. ^ Gregg Barak, Battleground: Criminal Justice [2 volumes] , ABC-CLIO, USA, 2007, p. 279
  3. ^ John Perry, God Behind Bars: The Amazing Story of Prison Fellowship , Thomas Nelson Inc, USA, 2006, p. 150
  4. ↑ OLIVER KENDRICK, The Origin and Development of Prison Fellowship International: Pluralism, Ecumenism and American Leadership in the Evangelical World 1974–2006 , Journal of American Studies, Volume 51, Number 4, 2017, UK, p. 1224
  5. ↑ Who we are. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  6. ^ Prison Fellowship. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Contact Us. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  8. ↑ About us. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  9. ^ Restorative Justice. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Who we are. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  11. ^ System Reform Projects. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  12. ^ Victims and perpetrators in conversation (OTG). Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  13. ^ Restorative Justice. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  14. ^ A ministry of reconciliation. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  15. ^ Reconciliation Program. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Colombia Peace Process. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  17. ^ Prison Fellowship International - the Problem. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  18. ^ Rescuing Children. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Help for self-help. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  20. ^ Prisoner's Journey. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Welcome to the wellness prison. Retrieved March 30, 2019 .
  22. ^ Prison Fellowship. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  23. ^ Prison Fellowship. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  24. ↑ The Association - Seehaus eV Accessed on March 30, 2019 .
  25. ↑ The Concept - Seehaus eV Accessed March 30, 2019 .