Jesus looked at him and loved him... Mark 10:21
During Prisons Week (13-18 October 2024), you are invited to remember that he looks at you and loves you, as he looks at them and loves them.
The Prison Fellowship group associated with Whitemoor prison is interested in delivering Sycamore Tree courses but they need more volunteers! The new Christian Chaplain at Whitemoor prison, Chris Milton, is happy to have a conversation with anyone who is interested about what their volunteering could look like.
What is Prison Fellowship?
Prison Fellowship’s mission is to show Christ’s love to people in prison by coming alongside them and supporting them. Prison Fellowship seek through prayer and practical care to help, support and develop a Christian ministry to people in prison and their families.
They do this through their network of over 3,000 volunteers, and are currently ministering in all of the 120 prisons in England and Wales.
Prison Fellowship's aim is to have a group in place to support every prison in England and Wales. Prison Fellowship volunteers connect with their local group, as this is where they get a feel for the work and can be trained up to go into prison or volunteer in other programmes. As well as supporting prisons in prayer and running Prison Fellowship programmes, local groups are the primary connection with their local prison for Prison Fellowship.
Prayer is the basis for all that Prison Fellowship does, and where it all started 40 years ago. All their activities are underpinned by prayer through Prison Fellowship local groups, which usually meet monthly.
Prison Fellowship is a Christian organisation, and is part of a global movement of people motivated by their faith to transform lives and communities by bringing love in action, acting with justice and showing mercy. They work with people of all faiths and no faith, and we treat every person with respect and dignity. They believe that no one is beyond hope, and that every life can be transformed.
Prison Fellowship: Our Values
Prayerfulness – everything we do is rooted in prayer, our work is an expression of our faith, and its fruit an expression of God’s faithfulness – through prayer we see others as Christ sees them.
Respect – Every person has great value – can change and should be given the opportunity to change.
Humility – recognising our own weakness and suffering helps us connect with each other, victims of crime and offenders.
Unity – we recognise we are part of God’s bigger plan and our success depends on working closely with each other and with partners to reach more people in prison.
Integrity – having little difference between what we think, what we say and what we do – aligning ourselves with our calling, honesty and good stewardship.
Hope – we seek to build upon hope where it exists and help find it when it has been lost.
Compassion – we move beyond empathy and are willing to help. We desire a generous spirit.
Dignity – we believe that every person is made in God’s image and so is worthy of respect, without condition.
What is Sycamore Tree?
Sycamore Tree is a volunteer-led programme that teaches the principles of restorative justice. It is taught in prisons in groups of up to 20 learners, over a 6-week period. Learners on the programme explore the effects of crime on victims, offenders, and the wider community, and discuss what it would mean to take responsibility for their personal actions.
For most learners on Sycamore Tree the most powerful element of the programme is when a victim of crime comes in to talk through how crime has impacted their lives. Learners have an opportunity in the final session to express their remorse – some write letters, poems or create works of art or craft. Members of the community are invited to support and bear witness to these symbolic acts of restitution.
“It made me realise you can change and there are people out there to help you. It made me think about who I have affected and how they feel. I will leave here feeling I can change.”
– Sycamore Tree learner
Sycamore Tree is an accredited programme and is proven to change attitudes that contribute to reoffending. The content of the programme is consistent with the pathways determined by the His Majesty’s Prison and Probation service (HMPPS) to reduce reoffending. The supportive group-based learning environment, connection with the community and highly economic structure, are just a few reasons why Sycamore Tree holds highly favourable endorsements from participants, staff and other stakeholders.
Between April 2023 to March 2024, Prison Fellowship volunteers ran 144 Sycamore Tree courses in 58 prisons across England and Wales, allowing over 2,000 learners to explore the impact of their crime.