Circles of Support and Accountability

A project for safer reintegration of sex offenders into the community

A Restorative Project

Restorative Justice• Repair• Stakeholder Participation• Transformation

Restorative Process• Truth Telling• Validation• Reparation• Conferencing

The Three Key PrinciplesTheoretical Framework

Support Monitor Maintain     

Reduce Isolation and Emotional Loneliness

Public Protection Hold Offender Accountable

     

Model Appropriate Relationships

Support Statutory Authorities-Police, Probation, MAPPA

Relationship of Trust

     

Demonstrate Humanity and Care Safer Communities

Maintain Treatment Objectives

     

  Reduce Re-offending  

Saunders & Wilson 2002

Good Lives Model:Primary Human Goods

• Life (including healthy living and physical functioning)• Knowledge• Excellence in play and work (Mastery)• Agency (autonomy)• Inner peace (freedom from turmoil and stress)• Friendship (including intimate, romantic and family

relationships)• Community• Spirituality (finding purpose in life)• Happiness• Creativity

Circles of Support & Accountability

Core member

Volunteers

Professionals

The Circle comprises volunteers from the community who are supported by professional staff

What makes an effective Circle?

Selection of Core Member

Appropriate balance and selection of volunteers

Involvement of key professionals

Trust and Honesty within Confidentiality framework

Maintaining firm and clear boundaries

Supervision and Management of Volunteers and Circles

Personal Reviews

Circles Reviews

Peer Supervision

Regular Communication and Information Sharing

Bring Volunteers together

Volunteer Roles and Responsibility

Achieving a balance between support and accountabilityAbility to be able to work with statutory agenciesAbility to work individually and as part of a teamRecognition/management of manipulation and collusionAbility to maintain confidentialityRespectful non judgemental approachAbility to access support when necessaryProvide a structured framework to provide emotional/practical supportAbility to maintain appropriate personal boundariesAbility to assist development of community, social and support networks

Circles of Support & AccountabilityCircles of Support & Accountability

Executive Summary

COSA PARTICIPANTS

85% reductionin sexual recidivism

Wilson, Cortoni, McWhinnieNovember 09

Sage publications

COSA PARTICIPANTS

85% reductionin sexual recidivism

Wilson, Cortoni, McWhinnieNovember 09

Sage publications

What is a Successful Outcome?

• No sexual reconviction• Reduced e.g. lesser offending?• Offending prevented by evasive action

e.g.– Recall to prison on licence– Imposition/breach of Sex Offender Prevention

Order (SOPO)

BEHAVIOURAL OUTCOMES FOR CORE MEMBERS

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Reconvicted

Breach of SOPO

Recall

RecidivistBehaviour

No Problems

Total of 16 Core Members in a 3.5 year period

The comparison between the reconviction outcomes for the two groups (both N=71) are

displayed on the following table.

CSE Core Members Comparison group

Contact sexual or violent reconviction 0 10

Non-contact sexual reconviction3 2

Failure to comply with Sex Offender Register

3 6

Breach of SOPO 2 0

A Breakdown of Volunteers Working in Thames Valley COSA in 2005

A Breakdown of Volunteers Working in Circles South East in 2013

Circles 4EUIMPLEMENTED IMPLEMENTING ADAPTATION

United Kingdom Latvia IrelandNetherlands Bulgaria FranceBelgium Catalonia Hungary

With financial support from the Daphne Programme of the European Union

Circles Research & Evaluation

• Bates, A., Wilson, C. & Saunders, R (2007) Doing Something About It: A Follow-up Study of Sex Offenders participating in Thames Valley Circles of Support and Accountability. British Journal of Community Justice, Vol 5 - No. 1, 19-42

• Bates, A, Williams, D, Wilson, C & Wilson, R (2013) Circles South-East: the First Ten Years, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2014, Vol. 58, No. 7, pp. 861-885

• Marshall W (2005) Therapist styles in Sexual offender Treatment. Influences on Indices of Change Journal of research and Change 17 109 – 17

• Wilson C Bates A Vollm B (2011) Circles of Support and Accountability: An Innovative Approach to Manage High Risk Sex Offenders in the Community The Open Criminology Journal.

• Wilson, R. Cortoni, F. McWhinnie, A. 2009 Circles of Support and Accountability: A Canadian National Replication of Outcome Findings. Sage (on behalf of ATSA)

• Wilson R, McWhinnie A, Wilson C. 2008 Circles of Support and Accountability: An international partnership in reducing sexual offender recidivism (Prison Service Journal No178)

• Ward T and Stewart CA (2003) ‘Good Lives and the Rehabilitation of Sexual offenders’ Sage

Thank You