The Sycamore Tree Project brings crime victims into prison to tell their stories of the impact of crime. The 7 week journey produces unexpected connections and community between “natural enemies” and has been praised by victims groups, judges and criminologists as groundbreaking and powerful. In this article facilitator Martin Howard takes us up-close in the human experience of transformation.
The unforgiving steel bars felt like a constant reminder of her past mistakes. Years within prison walls had hardened Mary* physically and emotionally. Her life had been a whirlwind of wrong turns, each leading her deeper into a cycle of crime and incarceration that began in her childhood.
One day, hope glowed within the prison’s sterile confines as we welcomed her to the Sycamore Tree Project, a program facilitating restorative justice encounters. Initially skeptical, Mary found herself drawn to the promise of understanding the roots of her actions and the impact they had on others.
The program began with an object lesson called “The Ripple Effect”. One of the inmates was asked to drop a stone into a bowl of water. A chaotic splash and then mesmerizing moments of waves, ripples and lingering disturbance on the surface the water. The group is invited to share their observations.
They return to their workbooks and a ripple diagram where they map out the names of people impacted by their crime. As Mary meticulously charted her life’s journey, a chilling realization dawned on her. The ripples of her actions extended far beyond the moment of her crime. They had found her daughter, Sarah, who, mirroring Mary’s troubled past, was teetering on the edge of juvenile delinquency.
Staring at her workbook, the realization struck Mary like a physical blow. The diagram showed a wave of abuse that had begun years earlier at the hands of her own father. Anger was contagious. Her own resentment and aggressive parenting was a part of the same wave that now threatened her teenager.
The next week’s lesson gave her the key to breaking that cycle. One of the visiting crime victims talked honestly and openly about her experience of surviving violence and heartbreak. She explained that her obsession with taking revenge on the person who killed her child wasn’t ‘letting them off the hook’. It was something she chose in order to get her life back.
The group learned that the decision to let go of years of toxic anger and bitterness was called forgiveness. With forgiveness, Mary could still condemn the harm that her father had caused, without it being in her head for hours every day.
She made her own difficult decision to forgive. It would take time, and that was okay.
The program offered her the space and guidance to confront her past. In a friendly group in the middle of the prison, Mary began to unpack the emotional baggage she had carried for years. She learned how trauma inflicted on one generation can ripple through subsequent ones, shaping behaviors and perpetuating cycles of dysfunction.
Understanding transformed into action. Mary, for the first time, saw a chance to make her life count. She needed to change the way she related to her daughter.
With newfound resolve, Mary penned a heartfelt letter to Sarah*. Tears streamed down her face as she shared her apology, not just for her absence due to incarceration, but for the emotional harm she had inflicted. She acknowledged the impact of her own actions, taking responsibility for her role in perpetuating the cycle.
The letter, filled with raw honesty and vulnerability, became a turning point. Her reflections were read out during the final session in front of the group including invited guests from the prison management and the community.
While the path to healing was arduous, Mary’s journey through the Sycamore Tree Project was a testament to the transformative power of restorative justice. It wasn’t just about seeking forgiveness from others, but also about forgiving herself and breaking free from the shackles of her past.
The presence of crime victims and their stories are a rapid catalyst to transformation. For these brave survivors, Sycamore encounters are cathartic ‘oxygen’, bringing fresh energy for their restorative journey.
Mary’s story is a powerful example of how confronting generational trauma can be the key to disrupting destructive cycles. It highlights the importance of fostering dialogue, taking responsibility, and seeking support in the healing process. As Mary embarked on a journey of self-discovery and reconciliation, she not only found hope for her own future but also ignited a spark of hope for her daughter, Sarah, to break free from the cycle and forge a brighter path forward.
*not her real name
Martin introduced the Sycamore Tree Project in Queensland, in 2011. He has been part of the Prison Fellowship leadership in Queensland since 1995. He is a member of the global steering council for Restorative Justice International and Vice Chairman of Restorative Practices International in Queensland. He has been a presenter at many restorative justice learning events and conferences. He practices as an art director in Brisbane where he lives with his wife and family.
