Circles of Support

Wilson, Robin; Prinzo, Michelle

doi:10.1300/j056v13n03_05

Cited by 39 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Reverend Nigh gathered a small group of members of his church and asked them to volunteer some of their time to help this offender establish himself in the community. This was the birth of Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA – see Correctional Service of Canada 2002; Wilson, Huculak and McWhinnie 2002; Wilson and Picheca 2005; Wilson, Picheca and Prinzo 2005, 2007; Wilson and Prinzo 2001; Wilson et al 2007b), although, at the time, it was really a rather ad hoc approach to assisting an offender's reintegration to the community.…”

mentioning

confidence: 89%

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Professionally‐Facilitated Volunteerism in the Community‐Based Management of High‐Risk Sexual Offenders: Part Two – A Comparison of Recidivism Rates

Wilson

Picheca

Prinzo

2007

The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice

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This study represents an examination of recidivism rates associated with the pilot project of Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) in South-Central Ontario, Canada. A group of 60 high-risk sexual offenders involved in COSA after having been released at the end of their sentence were matched to a group of 60 high-risk sexual offenders who had been released at the end of their sentence, but who did not become involved in COSA. Results show that the offenders who participated in the COSA pilot project had significantly lower rates of any type of reoffending than did the offenders who did not participate in COSA. Specifically, offenders who participated in COSA had a 70% reduction in sexual recidivism in contrast to the matched comparison group (5% vs. 16.7%), a 57% reduction in all types of violent recidivism (including sexual À 15% vs. 35%), and an overall reduction of 35% in all types of recidivism (including violent and sexual -28.3% vs. 43.4%). Further, a considerable harm reduction function was noted in the COSA sample, in that sexual reoffences in this group were categorically less severe than prior offences by the same individual. This function was not observed in the matched comparison group.The release to the community of a sexual offender is frequently accompanied by intense coverage by the media which, ultimately, forces many offenders into hiding or out of one community and into

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mentioning

confidence: 89%

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Professionally‐Facilitated Volunteerism in the Community‐Based Management of High‐Risk Sexual Offenders: Part Two – A Comparison of Recidivism Rates

Wilson

Picheca

Prinzo

2007

The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice

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“…CoSA is a reintegration framework that aims to address social isolation and provide a restorative approach for reintegrating individuals convicted for sexual offenses (McWhinnie, 2003; R. J. Wilson & Prinzo, 2002). The framework was developed to meet both practical and social needs of individuals transitioning from prison into the community.…”

Section: Cosamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, he lacked adequate social support and his pending release was met with community resistance and protest (Hanvey, Philpot, & Wilson, 2011; R. J. Wilson & Prinzo, 2002). A pastor of a Mennonite congregation was contacted by corrections staff, and a small group of volunteers from his church agreed to meet with the individual; this was to become the first CoSA (McWhinnie, 2003; R. J.…”

Section: Cosamentioning

confidence: 99%

You Do What? A Qualitative Investigation Into the Motivation to Volunteer With Circles of Support and Accountability

2017

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Most community members are not accepting of individuals convicted for sexual offenses living in their communities, let alone having regular contact with them. However, a select number of community members choose to give their time to assist these individuals reintegrate from prison into the community. Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) was developed as a way to address the issues that many individuals convicted of sex offenses face, that is, little to no prosocial support in the community. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 CoSA volunteers in New Zealand to gain a more thorough understanding of volunteers' motivation to be involved with CoSA. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three key themes of motivation were identified: (a) Restorative and Justice-Based Motivation, (b) Altruistic Motivation, and (c) Faith-Based Motivation. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future recruitment of volunteers for CoSAs.

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“…However, in spite of his initial reluctance to have anything to do with this man, Reverend Nigh agreed to meet with Charlie and see what could be arranged. Together with several of his congregants, Reverend Nigh formed a group of supportive volunteers in a model that is now widely known as Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA – see Wilson, Huculak and McWhinnie 2002; Wilson and Picheca 2005; Wilson and Prinzo 2001; Wilson, Picheca and Prinzo 2005). …”

Section: Circles Of Support and Accountabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Circles of Support and Accountability: Engaging Community Volunteers in the Management of High‐Risk Sexual Offenders

Wilson

McWhinnie²,

Picheca

et al. 2007

The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice

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The release to the community of a sexual offender is frequently accompanied by intense coverage in the news media. Too often, the type of coverage these releases receive serves only to force many offenders into hiding or out of one community and into another. Forced to move to another community, the scapegoating process starts all over again. It is well known that secrecy and isolation are critical elements in sexual offending behaviour. Thus, forcing offenders into hiding does nothing to increase community safety or offender accountability and, arguably, increases the risk that new victims will be created. The most problematic releases are those in which sexual offenders arrive in a community with few or no links, and with little access to appropriate treatment and supervisory services. This article outlines a restorative approach to the risk management of high-risk sexual offenders in Canada using professionally-facilitated volunteerism. The Circles of Support and Accountability model grew out of an ad hoc, faith-based response to a situation much like that described above in South-Central Ontario, Canada. The resultant pilot project has since reached its twelfth anniversary and the model has proliferated both nationally and internationally.In the summer of 1988, a notorious sexual offender, Joseph Fredericks, succeeded in achieving a conditional release allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community under supervision. He subsequently kidnapped, raped, and killed eleven-year-old Christopher Stephenson. Fredericks, himself, was later murdered in jail. Although other tragedies had occurred around about the same time, the Stephenson

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Circles of Support

Cited by 39 publications

References 9 publications

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Professionally‐Facilitated Volunteerism in the Community‐Based Management of High‐Risk Sexual Offenders: Part Two – A Comparison of Recidivism Rates

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Professionally‐Facilitated Volunteerism in the Community‐Based Management of High‐Risk Sexual Offenders: Part Two – A Comparison of Recidivism Rates

You Do What? A Qualitative Investigation Into the Motivation to Volunteer With Circles of Support and Accountability

Circles of Support and Accountability: Engaging Community Volunteers in the Management of High‐Risk Sexual Offenders

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