Prison Fellowship International (PFI) is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

international

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

of national prison fellowship organizations from 112 countries. The organization is based in

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United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, and its current president is Andy Corley.

History

The organization has its origins in the

Prison Fellowship Prison Fellowship is the world's largest Christian nonprofit organization for prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for justice reform.Mark Oppenheimer ''New York Times'' (April 27, 2012). History Prison Fell ...

organization, which aims to support prisoners, founded in 1976 by

Charles W. Colson Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012), generally referred to as Chuck Colson, was an American attorney and political advisor who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. Once known as Pr ...

, a former politician imprisoned for his involvement in the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...

. In November 1978, a meeting was held in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

for the formation of a British antenna and to give an international dimension to the organization. Prison Fellowship International was officially founded in 1979, and works in 112 countries as of 2022.

Programs

Bible studies

For prisoners, groups of Bible studies are offered.

Assisting children and families of prisoners

Prison Fellowship International runs a

child sponsorship Child sponsorship is a type of fundraising in which a charitable organization associates a donor sponsor with a particular child beneficiary. The sponsor receives updates from the child, typically including photos and translated letters, which help ...

program which aims to help needy children of prisoners with support in education and health care. The Angel Tree Program is an outreach to the children of prisoners at

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. Members of local churches volunteer to sponsor these children by purchasing a gift based on information gathered by PF volunteers and prison chaplains.The Post & Courier ''Angel Tree program helps give Christmas to children of inmates'' 26 December 2008
/ref>

Restorative justice

Through the PFI Centre for Justice and Reconciliation, PFI seeks to promote the principles and practices of restorative justice—an approach to justice focusing on healing broken relationships, repairing the damage done by crime, and restoring the offender to a meaningful role in society. Prison Fellowship International
What We Do
pfi.org, USA, retrieved November 5, 2022 The Centre operates Restorative Justice Online and provides information and consultation to national PF organizations,PFI Website - The Mission of Prison Fellowship International
governments,Jamaican Ministry of Justice - Press Release 9 December 2005
the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

, and other organizations. The PF restorative justice program is known as either the Sycamore Tree ProjectNew Zealand Ministry of Justice - Newsletter - Te Ara Whakatika, Winter 2004, Issue #22
/ref> or Umuvumu Tree Project.Umuvumu Tree Project: A Ministry of Reconciliation in Rwanda
USA, February 3, 2003 Notably, in Rwanda, in response to the genocide of 1994, Prison Fellowship introduced the Umuvumu Tree Project through 11,000 traditional courts, resulting in more than 32,000 genocide offenders confessing to their crimes. 23 PF national ministries ran the STP in 2009.

Promoting faith-based prisons

Based on APAC, the Brazilian model of faith-based prison communities, national PF organizations are adapting their own APAC projects. These faith-based prison communities are presently operating in 16 countries.Correctional News ''A Matter of Choice'' July/Aug 2003
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Consultation

As an NGO, PFI maintains

Consultative Status The consultative status is a phrase whose use can be traced to the founding of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations ( NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and So ...

(Category II) with the

UN Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

and is an active participant in the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice - Description of Prison Fellowship International's membership to the aforementioned organisation
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Notes

External links

Prison Fellowship InternationalRestorative Justice
{{Authority control International organizations based in the United States Penology Religious prison-related organizations International Christian organizations Evangelical Christian humanitarian organizations