TEARFUL victims spoke of finally feeling on the right path to recovery and healing, while remorseful prisoners spoke of having changed outlooks on crime and humanity, as the completion of the inaugural session of “The Sycamore Tree Project” was celebrated on Tuesday in a small ceremony at the Timehri Prison.

The pilot in-prison restorative justice programme brought together unrelated victims and offenders to discuss crime and its impacts, with the hope of contributing to recidivism reduction, and prisoner rehabilitation, as well as helping the victims find closure.

The victims and prisoners go through eight weeks of sessions two hours per week. The programme is entirely voluntary, with this first roll-out seeing the participation of three victims, all young ladies, and five prisoners, all males, all under the age of 35.

“Coming face to face with persons who were victims of crimes committed by someone just like us, hearing their stories and listening to them, humanity was reinforced within us,” testified one of the prisoners, as he delivered remarks at the event.

“This programme has taught us that all is not lost and once we are humans we can bounce back. We understand that change does not occur in the shifting sands of our circumstances, but in the quiet depths of our hearts.”

Of the three young ladies participating in programme two were victims of rape, one of whom was raped by a family member; the third was the victim of a violent robbery, perpetrated by someone the victim knew.

“Before I start this project, I had so much hate for you inside of my heart offender. I wanted to kill you. But now I understand the meaning of restorative justice. I don’t know that I will ever get closure, but since I started this project I have been able to do so much. I haven’t gotten closure, but it’s a start, it’s a beginning headed in the right direction,” one of the rape victims attested. She made a plea to the prisoners who participated in the programme:
“I hope to God that when you come out from in here you don’t repeat this [crime].

You can say hey, I was wrong and try not to head down that path again.”

Another of the prisoners spoke of learning a deeper meaning to compassion.
“This programme has taught me how important it is to forgive,” he said
“Forgiveness means to be truly sorry for one’s unlawful actions and also working towards bringing about real closure and healing in someone who is hurting in life. So to really experience forgiveness one must also learn to forgive oneself before forgiving others.”
Both the victims and prisoners noted their hopes to see the project continued, so that others can benefit as well, so that those prisoners who participate in the programme have sustained measures put in place to help them continue on the path to recovery, even after they are finished with the programme.

“Eight sessions is [sic] not adequate to see [the prisoners] to full commitment to changed lifestyles, but it is a beginning and we’re hoping that they are committed to the process and we hope that government will make the necessary measures to ensure our criminal justice system is one that is rehabilitative and restorative in nature,” noted Alvin Doris, Manager and Lead Facilitator of the Sycamore Tree Project.

Also present at the celebration was Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, who noted that the time has come for the Guyana prisons system to move away from being penal- based to being rehabilitative- focused.

He applauded the project for what it means for the victims and the prisoners alike.
“Many victims have been hurt and are seeking closure. This project presents a pathway to such healing. The victims testified today that while they have not found closure, but they are on that path to finding closure. Many of us can speak to the value of being told sorry, especially when sorry is told by someone who is truly remorseful,” Samuels said.

Also making remarks at the event was the Prisons Welfare and Corrections Officer, Marielle Bristol.