“I Am a Different Man Now”—Sex Offenders in Circles of Support and Accountability: A Prospective Study

Abstract

In Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), a group of trained and supervised volunteers support a sex offender (core member in a circle), with the aim of supporting the core member's transitions toward full desistance. A prospective, multi-method design was used to explore psychological and social transitions in core members. Data were collected at the start of their circle, after 6 months, and after 12 months. Qualitative data were collected in semi-structured interviews with 17 core members and a total of 29 professionals, and analyzed with Kwalitan, a computer-assisted program for qualitative data analysis. Quantitative data were assessed with self-report questionnaires for sex offenders. Mean differences between t0, t1, and t2 were tested with repeated-measures ANOVAs. Qualitative results indicated improvements in reflective skills, openness, and problem-solving skills, as well as social skills, agency, and self-regulation. Quantitative results documented improvements in emotion regulation and internal locus of control, and positive trends in self-esteem and coping skills. Due to the small sample size, our results must be interpreted with caution. Core members as well as professionals reported a unique contribution of circles to their process, but this claim needs further confirmation.

Supporting Desistance Through Ambiguous Practice: What Can Be Learned From the First Prison-Based Model of CoSA in England and Wales?

“…Indeed, Lowe and Willis (2018) acknowledge how working with a stigmatised population can be demanding for any CoSA volunteer. If these demands are increased through a reduction in commitment in other volunteers then burnout and exhaustion, associated with excessive volunteering, (Höing et al, 2015b) may occur.…”

A prison-model of CoSA: the potential to offer “through the gate” support and accountability

“…The volunteers who make up a CoSA may be able to act as this type of mentor. Within the community model of CoSA, however, support for the Core Member commences once they have been released into the community, sometimes with delays of several weeks (Höing et al, 2015). A prison-based model of CoSA though, has the potential to provide these participants with 'through the gate' support and immediately on release from prison.…”

“…Until 2014, however, CoSA in the UK only began once a potential core member had been released from prison and was living in the community, sometimes for a period of up to several weeks (Höing, Vogelvang, & Bogaerts, 2015). This is concerning due to the early stages of release being a particularly sensitive period in terms of achieving this desistance (Aresti, Eatough, & Brooks-Gordon, 2010).…”

Strength based approaches and protective factors from a criminological perspective

“…Such informal bonds and conformity to social norms appear to impact on people's choices to desist from crime (Sampson and Laub, 1990). Indeed, with interventions such as Circles of Support and Accountability, promoting self-control, a sense of agency, social concern, and belief in one's own capabilities to change, are essential (Höing et al, 2015). Such psychological shifts are believed to be strengthened in by the Pygmalion effect (Maruna et al, 2004).…”

“…One intervention called Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) might begin to provide a model for this as they provide an opportunity for those convicted of sexual offending to reintegrate and demonstrate a change in the community (Höing et al, 2015, Hanvey et al, 2011. People involved in CoSA are offered the opportunity to engage with a selection of trained community members who serve as a moral authority, supporting, and guiding them as they reintegrate back into society (Fox, 2016).…”