A role in the reduction of crime in our state?
The call for harsher punishment is one of the loudest voices we hear in any debate on crime and there are crimes that shock the very foundations of society and those calls gather more voices of support.
As we read our daily paper or listen to the talk back radio kings it
appears without question that Perth is a city of fear and it is not
possible to leave our house or vehicle without the escort of a police
or security officer to ensure we complete our tasks without being
assaulted or mugged.
Yes it is important to understand the need to be aware there are situations that do occur on a daily basis. Car stealing, home burglaries, bag snatches, assaults etc and awareness is a very good thing, knowing the phone numbers of our police service, our neighbors is also very important to know how to get assistance if there is a occurrence of this nature in our lives.
However it is not in our own best interest to imprison ourselves in fear or to create a home that resembles a primeval fortress with shutters that closes out the night and day, sensor lights that create daylight even if the neighbors cat runs across the front lawn or sirens that go off every other day and no one takes any notice of them anymore.
The most important resource we as a community can have to assist us not become another awful statistic is to ensure our government uses its facilities that deals with crime in a way that brings about a result that decreases the fear being experienced in the community. The call for harsher punishment is one of the loudest voices we hear in any debate on crime and there are crimes that shock the very foundations of society and those calls gather more voices of support and as we have just witnessed in New South Wales after a shocking attack a young man was sentenced and the result of that judgment raised the bar in punishment in such a way that future crimes of that nature will now be increased to correspond with the new high benchmark.
While this case was at the end extreme in its nature there are many questions that are emerging since the sentence was handed down by the presiding judge, some of the questions are:-
As Christians do we accept the viewpoint that a person cannot be rehabilitated?
That Jesus Christ cannot transform lives?
That it is better for society to just lock them up and throw away the key?
There are large costs associated with incarceration a person sentenced to be in jail for 40 years; this has a cost factor close to two and a half million dollars ($2.5mil) to achieve this sentence. Prison Fellowship WA is totally focused and committed to being a positive player and influence to the justice system of our state and help to reduce crime and has over the past twenty one years followed the Gospels command. "I was in prison and you visited me. (Mathew 25:36) PFWA during those 21 years has walked and talked the freeing message of the gospel to thousand of men and women in prison and many, many hundreds of them have returned back into society as productive citizens.
Through Christ, they have returned to be good fathers, mothers, neighbors, workers, friends and church goers, returned with their lives Transformed through the Saving Grace of Christ and in a win, win situation for all in the community, this is one of the many extremely important roles to help in the reduction of crime Prison Fellowship Western Australia continues to strive towards through its input into our justice system and other organisation's concerned about crime.
Prison Fellowship Western Australia is imputing the justice system of WA to bring about a reduction of crime in our community through its involvement and contribution in many ways:-
Prison Fellowship through its facilitation of Christian programmes such as "Alpha" and "Breaking Out" are contributing in a very powerful way in introducing men & women in prison to Christ and offering them a new way of looking at their offending behavior and taking responsibility for their actions. Programs like "Begin Again Enterprise" which assist men and women find accommodation on release and the PF teams that visits our prisons each week do extend a friendly hand to those incarcerated and walk with the men and women who attend our meeting in their attempts to reestablish their broken lives, to be lives filled with Hope.
Our two Camp Breakaway each year assist the families of prisoners to have time out in a stress free environment with team leaders and helpers at the camps whose Christian example shines as a beacon to the young lives they are looking after that there is a wonderful life to be had that does not include crime or bad decisions making process and the end result of these camps do change contribute to bring about lives forever.
Programmes conducted in prison relating to various crimes have a flaw in them, that weakness is these programmes are tied to being released on parole if a prisoner undertakes the directed program they will in all likelihood be granted parole. The problem with this scenario is the person tends only look at achieving their recommended parole plan (to get out as quickly as possible) and sadly not use the program to look deep within oneself to see the harm caused by their actions and take positive steps to change ones actions.
Prison Fellowship Western Australia knows for certain for a program to truly work in a prison it must be one that is embraced by those participating to change lives and not be one to "just attend to be given an early date of release" it must be one that ensures a person takes responsibility for their actions and for the harm caused to others and the community at large.
Prison Fellowship Western Australia wants to see crime reduce in our community and lives restored to ones that are productive and worthwhile, it wants to take the shutters of fear away from the community and it will continue to be at the coal face with the least, lonely and lost to help in restoring men and women through sound Christian focused programmes and friendships.
Yes, Prison Fellowship Western Australia does have an important role to play in the reduction of crime in our state as do all of us who follow Jesus and it is our earnest prayer that as we continue to minister to those in prison their lives will become whole again through the Amazing Grace of Christ thus ensuring crime in our state will reduce greatly to everyone's benefit.
Yes it is important to understand the need to be aware there are situations that do occur on a daily basis. Car stealing, home burglaries, bag snatches, assaults etc and awareness is a very good thing, knowing the phone numbers of our police service, our neighbors is also very important to know how to get assistance if there is a occurrence of this nature in our lives.
However it is not in our own best interest to imprison ourselves in fear or to create a home that resembles a primeval fortress with shutters that closes out the night and day, sensor lights that create daylight even if the neighbors cat runs across the front lawn or sirens that go off every other day and no one takes any notice of them anymore.
The most important resource we as a community can have to assist us not become another awful statistic is to ensure our government uses its facilities that deals with crime in a way that brings about a result that decreases the fear being experienced in the community. The call for harsher punishment is one of the loudest voices we hear in any debate on crime and there are crimes that shock the very foundations of society and those calls gather more voices of support and as we have just witnessed in New South Wales after a shocking attack a young man was sentenced and the result of that judgment raised the bar in punishment in such a way that future crimes of that nature will now be increased to correspond with the new high benchmark.
While this case was at the end extreme in its nature there are many questions that are emerging since the sentence was handed down by the presiding judge, some of the questions are:-
As Christians do we accept the viewpoint that a person cannot be rehabilitated?
That Jesus Christ cannot transform lives?
That it is better for society to just lock them up and throw away the key?
There are large costs associated with incarceration a person sentenced to be in jail for 40 years; this has a cost factor close to two and a half million dollars ($2.5mil) to achieve this sentence. Prison Fellowship WA is totally focused and committed to being a positive player and influence to the justice system of our state and help to reduce crime and has over the past twenty one years followed the Gospels command. "I was in prison and you visited me. (Mathew 25:36) PFWA during those 21 years has walked and talked the freeing message of the gospel to thousand of men and women in prison and many, many hundreds of them have returned back into society as productive citizens.
Through Christ, they have returned to be good fathers, mothers, neighbors, workers, friends and church goers, returned with their lives Transformed through the Saving Grace of Christ and in a win, win situation for all in the community, this is one of the many extremely important roles to help in the reduction of crime Prison Fellowship Western Australia continues to strive towards through its input into our justice system and other organisation's concerned about crime.
Prison Fellowship Western Australia is imputing the justice system of WA to bring about a reduction of crime in our community through its involvement and contribution in many ways:-
- PFWA is classified as an "Important Stakeholder" in the Department of Justice
- PFWA was represented on the "Reduction to Self Harm in Prisons" Department of Justice working party.
- PFWA is a member of the Acacia prison "Industry Referral Community Committee"
- PFWA is a member of the Nyandi prison project Community Advisory Group
- PFWA is a foundation member of the Institute for Restorative Justice & Penal Reform
- PFWA is a member of the Community Consultative Council to the "Office of The Inspector of Custodial Service"
- PFWA is committed to supporting the Prison Chaplains in our prisons throughout WA in their important works
Prison Fellowship through its facilitation of Christian programmes such as "Alpha" and "Breaking Out" are contributing in a very powerful way in introducing men & women in prison to Christ and offering them a new way of looking at their offending behavior and taking responsibility for their actions. Programs like "Begin Again Enterprise" which assist men and women find accommodation on release and the PF teams that visits our prisons each week do extend a friendly hand to those incarcerated and walk with the men and women who attend our meeting in their attempts to reestablish their broken lives, to be lives filled with Hope.
Our two Camp Breakaway each year assist the families of prisoners to have time out in a stress free environment with team leaders and helpers at the camps whose Christian example shines as a beacon to the young lives they are looking after that there is a wonderful life to be had that does not include crime or bad decisions making process and the end result of these camps do change contribute to bring about lives forever.
Programmes conducted in prison relating to various crimes have a flaw in them, that weakness is these programmes are tied to being released on parole if a prisoner undertakes the directed program they will in all likelihood be granted parole. The problem with this scenario is the person tends only look at achieving their recommended parole plan (to get out as quickly as possible) and sadly not use the program to look deep within oneself to see the harm caused by their actions and take positive steps to change ones actions.
Prison Fellowship Western Australia knows for certain for a program to truly work in a prison it must be one that is embraced by those participating to change lives and not be one to "just attend to be given an early date of release" it must be one that ensures a person takes responsibility for their actions and for the harm caused to others and the community at large.
Prison Fellowship Western Australia wants to see crime reduce in our community and lives restored to ones that are productive and worthwhile, it wants to take the shutters of fear away from the community and it will continue to be at the coal face with the least, lonely and lost to help in restoring men and women through sound Christian focused programmes and friendships.
Yes, Prison Fellowship Western Australia does have an important role to play in the reduction of crime in our state as do all of us who follow Jesus and it is our earnest prayer that as we continue to minister to those in prison their lives will become whole again through the Amazing Grace of Christ thus ensuring crime in our state will reduce greatly to everyone's benefit.
Last modified
2006-07-14 01:57 PM