Prison Fellowship
Today I speak about an inspiring international Christian organisation, Prison Fellowship International, which was founded by Watergate identity Chuck Colson. Prison Fellowship New South Wales is our State branch, which seeks to transform the lives of all those in our State who are caught up in the criminal lifestyle, to help restore relationships with their families, and to reconcile them to their communities.
Prison Fellowship does this by providing a variety of prison ministries to help transition inmates back into the community upon release from prison, along with family support programs for those waiting at home for them.
Prison Fellowship New South Wales has a small staff and 450 volunteers, who carry out their mission with people both in and out of prison. I inform the House of some of their most outstanding accomplishments this year. One of their programs is the WerX, which provides a healthy educational camping experience in the Southern Highlands in a fun and safe environment for young people whose parent or parents are in custody. Spending time with, and receiving attention from, dependable adults who enjoy their company and are good role models is a deep need in these kids.
Another program is Angel Tree, which coordinates donations from churches across the State to fund, on behalf of inmates, the purchase and delivery of Christmas gifts to their children at home and holidays. How much the gifts mean, both to the children at home missing mother or father, and to the parents who cannot otherwise provide gifts at Christmas time, cannot be overstated.
This is the United Nations International Year of Reconciliation and, in that spirit, Prison Fellowship New South Wales has piloted the Sycamore Tree Project, an initiative that includes offenders, facilitators and guest presenters, who together deal with the reconciliation of offenders and victims. It is a soul-searching, ambitious, educational and social vision at work.
The principles of restorative justice, upon which it is based, have their foundations in the Bible but restorative justice is not just a Christian concept; it is part of many other cultures around the world and has been practised throughout human history because it meets a primal human need. It recognises that crime is not just breaking the law but is harming real people. The system to deal with that harm should address those injuries, as well as restore the offender to the community.
Another project is Art from Inside, an exhibition of artwork from dozens of artists from 17 prisons around the State. Australian artworks went on sale at a national exhibition in Brisbane, and New South Wales prisoners won first and second prizes. Many of the inmates had never previously had the opportunity or received encouragement to try their hand at creative work or art.
Even better has been the pride expressed by their families attending the exhibition that they have completed the artwork. This encouragement of creative self-expression in a group that has never been so encouraged is very moving. It is an important recognition on the part of Prison Fellowship that the whole person needs to be encouraged to grow, explore, create and express.
There are other programs as well. Over the past year 250 volunteers have continued to visit inmates, assist chaplains with on-site services and have helped teams run a variety of programs within correctional centres. The follow-up of inmates upon release is an important focus in order to develop post-release partnerships that will help support inmates on their transition back into a positive place in their communities, instead of returning to their old niche and to people who may still be involved in crime.
Letter writing has been a valuable means for volunteers to support and encourage inmates. Hundreds of letters have been sent to prisoners. Volunteers also participate in court support teams to provide a vital community service in the foyers of eight local courts by assisting, befriending and providing refreshments to court clients, their families and other friends while they wait for adjudication.
I congratulate Prison Fellowship New South Wales on its Christian commitment to assist the marginalised in our society and all of their innovative programs dedicated to improving the lives of inmates and their families.