Prison Fellowship Dominica is awaiting the green light from its international counterpart to begin working with perpetrators and victims of crime in a process of reconciliation.
The local group was incorporated into law on September 9 last year, according to Pastor Peter Augustine.
Two officials of Prison Fellowship International (PFI) are currently on the island conducting a survey expected to result in formal accreditation of Prison Fellowship Dominica.
Dr Aklilu Tadesse, the regional coordinator for Prison Fellowship International and Olga Clark who heads Prison Fellowship Bahamas, on Tuesday morning visited the state prison at Stock Farm.
“We are here to learn about the country, about the ministry about the challenges and the opportunities,” the two told reporters at a news conference.
According to Dr Tadesse, PFI is a global movement of fellowships in 124 countries around the world, including 13 in the Caribbean.
New Chapters are also about to be established in Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The regional coordinator told reporters that his organisation’s mission is to challenge the church to get volunteers from different denominations to meet with prison inmates to try to change them for the better.
They also try to encourage victims and their families to forgive those who have committed crimes against them.
“Our vision is to be a community of reconciliation, for those that are involved in crime, and also affected by crime,” Dr Tadesse explained.
His colleague Dr Clarke said work carried out by her own organization in the Bahamas shows that criminals can change.
She said Prison Fellowship teams visiting jailed perpetrators do not only talk about the word of God but also seek to have those convicted of crimes to make amends.
“They do it out of a need, some of them do it out of greed,” Dr Clarke said of those involved in criminal behavior.
“Those ones, especially who just want to be bad, they are the ones you can change,” she said, explaining that part of the process was bringing the perpetrators “face to face with the victims”.
PFI’s Dr Tadesse says the international chapter provides assistance to local branches to ensure that their work is carried out as effectively as possible.
“Accreditation provides a lot of services to the new ministry,” He said.
“Prison Fellowship International provides training, and leadership training – we provide also volunteer training for people who have the heart to go and share (going into the prisons to meet with inmates),” the PFI official said.
“They need to know how to behave within the prison because going into prison is just like going into a different country. It has its own rules, regulations, you’ve got to respect the do-s and do-nots, and we provide those, and we provide communication facilities and a number of other services,” Dr Tadesse said.
Prison Fellowship Dominica is likely to be formally recognized by the international body within the next three to six months.
BUILD AN UNDERGROUND PRISON FOR THE HARDEN CRIMINALS…. AND LOOSE THE KEY…..
For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whosoever believe in Him shall be saved. It was a criminal on the cross next to Jesus, but Jesus said to him today he shall be with Him in paradise. God don’t look at any person the way we look at them because He loves us all. He is not willing that any person should perish but that all should come to repentance.
All others who are not saved are in prison, but the worse prison is the prison where satan have people bound, and they need to be set free. The UNDERGROUND PRISON will be the pit where satan is going. So I pray that those people in prison will get the opportunity to think about the love of God and give their lives to Jesus. For those who are not in a prison cell and living a life daily without Christ are still locked up in prison, and only Christ will set them free.
Way to go Peter Augustine – let us deplete the prison population to make space for the white color criminals – those selling our passports and stealing the money, those fire bombers and conspirators; those birth certificate scammers; all those thieves posing as authorities in public office. I am sure that Peter Augustine understands that it is better to tackle the problem from the root rather than the branches – employment , leaders who lead by example . The issues of unemployment , corruption and education are the issues that plague our socio political environment and Peter and his colleagues need to talk about those issues without fear of political backlash. The religious people in the Caribbean have for too long been engrossed in partisan favoritism. When Jesus spoke out about oppression, poverty and corruption he did so without fear or favor. Although Jesus had a target on his back he attacked the problem from the root- the corrupt leaders of the time.
I am not by any means marginalizing the move to prison consolidation however it seem more logical to cut the supply rather than to deal with the spill.
Who are these people letting ‘Pontius Pilate’ lead them. It is obvious that there are major social problems on the island and crime is increasing. “Utter Rubbish” is realising that now.
According to Prison Fellowship …”We are here to learn about the country….”… while the real Dr Peter a “corner stone” native is left languishing. Ah magway sa! Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
StupeS……..Wicked!!!!!