The head of the world’s largest prisoner fellowship group will visit Brisbane next month to discuss the values and societal benefits of the restorative justice process.
Prison Fellowship International President and Chief Executive Andy Corley will speak on his experiences of restorative justice around the world during a breakfast in Brisbane’s central business district on 2 November.
For more than 40 years, Prison Fellowship International has built programs inside prisons around the world that are proven to restore prisoners, help their families, and integrate them back into the community.
It has also been responsible for building life re-building programs in prisons that are restoring prisoners’ lives, helping their families, and successfully integrating them back into the community for good.
Restorative justice is the principle of diverting offenders to rehabilitative services such as pre-court mediation, community conferencing between the offender/victim and engaging with specialised programs to reform criminal behaviour.
The principles of restorative justice in Queensland are reflected in a myriad different legal instruments such Youth Justice Act 1992, Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 and the Criminal Code 1899.
Brisbane-based barrister and Australia’s Prison Fellowship Director, David Cormack, said the breakfast would be a great opportunity for members of the local legal justice community to discuss the values of the restorative justice process.
One of the fellowship’s programs is the Sycamore Tree Project – which aims to move beyond the court-imposed punishment process towards healing by addressing prisoners’ past harms and preventing future damage.
The eight-week, faith-based program is conducted within Queensland prisons and provides opportunities for victims of crime to meet with inmates.
It is designed to bring people together in a safe, structured and facilitated way to talk about their experiences, how they were impacted by crime and the harm can be addressed or repaired.
The breakfast is scheduled to be held at the Motorwagen Café, 300 Adelaide Street, Brisbane from 7am on 2 November.
Learn more about Prison Fellowship Australia or book a ticket to the event.
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