In June, Prison Fellowship International (PFI) President and CEO Andy Corley, along with three PFI board members, attended the 9th APAC Congress. Founded in Brazil, the Association for the Protection and Assistance of the Convicted (APAC) is dedicated to the recovery and social reintegration of those incarcerated through an alternative prison model based on restorative justice practices and a tripod of love, trust and discipline.
In 2022, the APAC method reached 50 years of mobilizing people for its cause: helping with the reintegration of those who have been deprived of social coexistence due to serving sentences in the prison system. This 50th Anniversary Jubilee was organized by the Brazilian Fraternity of Assistance to Convicted (FBAC), a PFI affiliated member, and attracted 500 participants hailing from more than 11 countries.
Centered on the theme of “Nobody is Irrecoverable,” Congress attendees participated in roundtables, 
workshops and conferences to enrich their knowledge of the APAC methodology and its constant development. Topics of these sessions included FBAC Guidelines for APACs in Deployment, Mental Health and Impacts of COVID-19 on APACs, Gender and Sexuality Challenges in APAC Methodology, the APAC Method as Public Policy and Work in the Prison Context. Over the course of the conference, there were also artistic performances by APAC inmates, awards distributed, visits to nine APACs around Brazil and a cultural night full of song and dance.
As a speaker at the event, PFI’s Andy Corley shared how inspired he was with the APAC movement as it works to transform prisons into more than just captive cells, but instead, places of recovery and reconciliation. He said that he was moved by all the warmth, smiles and love that he experienced when visiting the APACs. FBAC shared that he “infected everyone with his charisma and humility by sharing his stories.”
The conference was a celebration of the culmination of years of hard work, so it was fitting for numerous awards to be handed out. Andy received the Penitentiary Award from FBAC Executive Director Valdeci Ferreira. In turn, Andy presented Valdeci with an award from PFI to celebrate his many years of service and hard work. PFI Senior Regional Director of the Latin American and Caribbean (LACAR) region Dorestela Medina received the Latin America APAC Guide after facilitating the “Global Vision of the APAC Method” round table with participants from Mexico, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Germany.
A grand jubilee of honoring how APAC is transforming the prison system in Brazil and beyond, this Congress served as a reminder of all the good work done and the positive trajectory that FBAC and the APAC methodology head towards. PFI continues to support this cause through its extensive restorative justice knowledge and funding. Learn more about the APAC methodology here.