AUSTRALIA - Find a better way to keep our children safe

Original Article

05/16/2013

By ROB HULLS

Sex offenders are seen by the community as the scum of the Earth. They are considered to be monsters, people who should be abandoned by the community, locked up for a very long time, placed on a sex offenders register and, if they are ever released, monitored for life.

Recently, we read in the Herald Sun that new technology will mean that these heinous offenders will have tracking devices attached to them, so if they're not in jail, "we" know where they are.

But is there a better way? Does placing someone's name on a sex offenders register protect the community? Does putting an ankle bracelet on someone make our children safer? Let's look at some facts.

The Victorian Law Reform Commission's 2011 report on the Sex Offenders Registration Scheme found that there is little evidence to suggest that registration schemes are an effective means of reducing child sexual abuse because they deter offending. In fact, the report found that most sex offences are committed by people with no previous convictions for offences of that type.

Importantly, the report found that details about people who might be potentially dangerous reoffenders sit alongside those of offenders who pose no risk of harm, with police and child protection authorities having no reasonable means of allocating risk ratings, and investigative resources, to particular offenders. Despite that, at the current rate of increase, there will be approximately 10,000 registrations by 2020.

No doubt the new, you-beaut, whiz-bang one-size-fits-all tracking scheme will also grow like topsy with, as the Herald Sun reports, sex offenders, arsonists and boozers being monitored 24/7. That should make us all feel safe - shouldn't it?

The reality is quite different. Recently in Indianapolis in the US the systems at a GPS tracking company crashed.

Believe it or not, police throughout the nation had to scramble and lock up 16,000 criminals until the problem was solved. And of course GPS monitoring relies on someone actually watching and understanding the signals being transmitted from the device. As critics of the system in Vancouver make clear, GPS monitoring does not alert corrections officers when an offender commits an offence, but merely indicates their location.

Again, I suspect, as with the registration scheme there will be no reasonable means of allocating risk and investigative resources. While the policy might, during a 24-hour news cycle, have the objective of making people think the Government is tough, and will make everyone safer from these deviants, it's not and it won't.

There is a better way, but it's hard and it involves the community not abandoning these people.

Circles of Support and Accountability, or CoSA, is a community-orientated, restorative justice-based reintegration program that assists people in their effort to re-enter society after a period of incarceration for a sexual offence. It exists in Nova Scotia, Canada as well as in some parts of the UK and USA.

A "circle" involves three to five trained volunteers from the community who commit themselves to forming a circle around, supporting and holding accountable the offender or "core member".

The circle meets regularly to facilitate the core member's practical needs such as access to medical services, assistance with housing and employment and providing emotional support. In return, the core member commits to open communication with the circle regarding his identified risk factors, problematic behaviour and day-to-day problems in an effort to end his offending and increase public safety.

The motto of CoSA is No more Victims: No one is Disposable. Early evaluations suggest that the approach works with massive reductions in recidivism, or reoffending rates, compared with offenders not involved in a "circle".

Yes, it's easy to dispose of people who commit crimes, but to do so places a big financial burden on all of us, and to what end? Crime rates rise while our prison population escalates and more money is spent on registers and tracking people.

If the community is serious about wanting to be safer and reducing crime, then surely we have to do more than just listen to the "tough on crime" rhetoric of our politicians. It's hard, but we have to get involved.

As a CoSA volunteer said: "I used to be like everyone else. I hated these guys. Then I met one. He's a human being. Once I understood that, I could not turn my back on him. I hate what he's done but if he's willing to do his part, I'm willing to be there to help him. I don't want there to be any more victims."

And shouldn't that be the bottom line?

Rob Hulls was Victoria's attorney-general and now is director of RMIT's Centre for Innovative Justice

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UK - Would you befriend a child abuser?

Original Article

NOTE: Article has a video, but it's not playing right now. If it ever starts working, then we will embed it below. See the link above for the video.

04/16/2013

As part of This Morning's Crime Week, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have been discussing whether anyone would befriend a child abuser if they thought it could prevent them from re-offending?

Joining the presenters in the studio was Stephen Hanvey, who is the Chief Executive of Circles UK - a charity organisation which aims to rehabilitate child abusers and Chloe Stirk, who is a volunteer.

Speaking about the organisation, Stephen said: "It's a small group of very carefully selected, trained, supervised volunteers who will dedicate time to spend with somebody who has committed these offences."

"(They are) keeping an eye on them, monitoring what they do, work very closely with probation officers and police. But also to counteract that isolation and alienation they experience."

"And the evidence is that if you provide them with a level of attention and some social and practical support you can help keep them on the straight and narrow."

"It's about the community taking responsibility."

Stephen Hanvey, Chief Executive of Circles UK

Initiatives such as Circles UK first came to prominence in Canada in 1995, after a Quaker community befriended a known sex offender to help him rehabilitate.

Circles UK volunteer Chloe Stirk told Phillip and Holly her work was very rewarding, but she was aware of the dangers of working with a notoriously manipulative group of offenders.

"We go through a lot of training....and really the rule of thumb is just to always err on the side of caution," she said.

"So if I come out of a meeting thinking everything is great then I know that I need to pick myself up again."

"Once you're aware of that, you learn to be a bit more confident about spotting when you are being manipulated."

"You don't sign up to it to go in and be judgmental."

Chloe Stirk, Circles UK volunteer

Statistics suggested that in medium to high risk sex offenders around 30% have reoffended in the past five years.
- We assume that when they say "reoffended" it means a new sex crime, but that is only a guess since they didn't specify that or not, but, ex-sex offenders already have one of the lowest reoffense rates of any other ex-felon, yet they are not on an online shaming hit-list nor punished as much as those less likely to reoffend.

Stephen said that of the 160 offenders his organisation have worked with, only eight have reoffended,

He admited that while the concept of Circles UK may be controversial to many, people should recognise the importance of the work they are doing.

"There is no cure (for pedophilia), but what you can do is to help these people recognise the triggers and the dangers of falling back into dangerous and distorted thing," he said.
- And not all ex-sex offenders are pedophiles either.

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CANADA - Sex Offender Support Circles Having Positive Impact in Alberta

Original Article

01/15/2013

By Justina Reichel

Majority of those supported by CoSA groups have not re-offended

Although it has been operating in Edmonton for less than two years, a program to help stop released sex offenders from re-offending in their communities is experiencing remarkable success.

Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) is composed of community volunteers who provide a “circle” of support for sex offenders released from jail to help integrate them back into the community while holding them accountable.

The main goal of CoSA, whose mantra is “No More Victims,” is to reduce the risk of future sex crimes by assisting and supporting released offenders who are often shunned by their friends, families, and communities out of fear.

Susan Logan, executive director of the Edmonton-based Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre, was the main driving force in bringing the program back to Edmonton, where it had previously failed due to a critical lack of funding.

“CoSA has clearly demonstrated through its history that, given support, people can live without re-offending, not only sexually but in other crime areas,” Logan told The Epoch Times.

“By creating that pseudo-community, providing those supports to the person, it gives them that opportunity. Otherwise, if they’re just stigmatized and isolated it’s very difficult for them to make the changes they need to make to be able to live crime-free in communities.”

Logan says she has seen a fundamental change in the individuals who have been involved with various CoSAs in Alberta.

“In the majority of groups that CoSA has done, people have not re-offended sexually. They may have done other things, but they have not re-offended sexually,” she says.

CoSA has clearly demonstrated through its history that, given support, people can live without re-offending.
— Susan Logan, Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre

“But even when [re-offending] happens, these are people who develop caring relationships to try to support the person as best they can, no matter what’s happening.”

The program returned to Edmonton in 2011 and has been operating in Calgary since 2002. Logan estimates at any given time there are between 10-15 circles working with offenders in Alberta.

Logan notes the Alberta program is particularly crucial because of central Alberta’s Bowden Institution. Bowden is a main prison centre for sex offenders on the Prairies, who are regularly released from the institution after serving their terms.

Read the entire article here

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UK - Charity takes holistic approach to supporting sex offenders

Original Article

12/05/2012

By Will Coldwell

Circles UK's volunteers work alongside police and probation services in running a programme to cut reoffending

When James was released from prison, a year after being convicted for several child sex offences, he felt vulnerable and alone. "There was a lot of just sitting, staring at four walls and twiddling my thumbs," he explains. "It was boring, tedious and frustrating."

The common scenario James found himself in while on licence is also a dangerous one. Statistics show rates of recidivism of between 30% and 50% for serious sexual offenders. Isolation and a lack of normal social interaction can be a significant trigger for reoffending.

This is where Circles UK has been making an impact. The charity works alongside police and probation services to provide convicted sex offenders with "circles of support and accountability", small groups of public volunteers who ensure the offender, or "core member", makes a smooth transition back into society. So far the success rate is impressive, of the 160 offenders it has supported since pilot projects began in 2002, only eight have been reconvicted.

"Without support we end up with an isolated, potentially dangerous offender with nothing to lose," says Annabel Francis, co-ordinator for Circles East of England.

"This really is our worst nightmare because we know they'll reoffend."
- No you don't!

The Circles concept originates in the mid-90s when a group of Quakers in Canada befriended a repeat sex offender and successfully rehabilitated him. This developed into a more formalised programme, which first appeared in the UK 10 years ago.

Thanks to core funding from the Ministry of Justice and bolstered by a growing body of academic research, the charity Circles UK was founded to oversee the development of the scheme across the country, and runs 11 projects. Francis is seeking volunteers for a new one in Peterborough.

Still, Circles has needed to overcome some degree of public antipathy for a scheme that gives so much attention to the offender, rather than the victim.

In 2010 the Sun described Circles volunteers as "paedo-pals". More recently, an appeal due to air on BBC Radio 4 was postponed in light of the Jimmy Savile scandal. The charity had concerns that the intended message that Circles are about the prevention of abuse "may not be heard as clearly as we want it to be".

"With other types of offenders we're much more used to the sense of reform," says Francis.

"I think public consciousness ends once someone goes to jail. My interest is always what's going to happen in 25 years when they get out."

James, who remains on the sex offenders register although he has now finished his licence period, admits that without Circles he may not have been able to cope with the challenges of rebuilding his life.

Bullied as a child and admitting to having other deeply "repressed" feelings, his lack of emotional coping strategies was among a combination of factors that led him to offend. In 2007 he was convicted of numerous counts of downloading abusive images of children and one count of attempting to arrange a sex offence with a minor over the internet.

"I think it's partly genetic, thinking about my family, but I would always withdraw into myself rather than express what I was feeling," says James.

"Obviously my being arrested and incarcerated changed everything."

James had researched Circles himself, so when it was suggested by his probation officer he leapt at the chance to join.

But Circles is not designed to be a quick way out of the criminal justice system.

Through a combination of "encouragement and gentle nagging", James was supported in his search for a job, housing and encouraged to socialise more. His Circle also helped him open up to his parents, with whom his relationship is now "better than it's ever been".

Read the entire article here

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WI - Report: Recidivism rate declining

Original Article

When looking at sex crimes, recidivism should be defined as committing another sex crime, not just any crime or technical violation, then the recidivism rate would be even lower.

10/27/2012

By Laura Smith

GREEN BAY - Prisoners at Green Bay Correctional Institution are learning about financial literacy.

Education is a big part of the state corrections department's re-entry program at GBCI.

Deputy Warden Sarah Cooper says the program is designed to help inmates cope with life after prison.

"There's a lot of different things that we try to teach, and meet core competencies, so that when they do go back to society, they have some skills to succeed," said Cooper.

Cooper added if an inmate can succeed on the streets without going back to a life of crime, everybody wins.

"There's less victims, there's less incarceration, it costs less money and we want the inmates to go out into the community and succeed," said Cooper.

Circles of Support, a Goodwill Industries program, has a similar mission aimed at reducing repeat crimes, also known as recidivism.

Through group meetings and individual sessions, "Circles" helps recently released prisoners transition from incarceration to the community.

"They may come out without a state ID where they can't get a job, they can't do anything without that. So we'll drive them to the DMV and get that taken care of, and we'll just meet them where they're at," said regional director Anne Strauch.

Strauch said statistics show the program, which is funded in part by the Department of Corrections, is on the right track.

"Right now, I just figured out the statistics for 3/4 of the year and we're at 98.5%. So 1.5% have been revoked and back into prison, which is pretty good," Strauch said.

Are the various re-entry efforts in Wisconsin working? According to a new Department of Corrections report , the answer is yes. It shows the rate at which prisoners are committing new crimes after their release from prison is on a downward trend.

"As long as that rate keeps coming down, I think that's a positive sign for safety in Wisconsin," said Department of Corrections secretary Gary Hamblin.

The report tracked nearly the recidivism rates of 125 thousand offenders over a period of 20 years. It looked at people released from prison who re-offend within a three year period.

Recidivism is defined in the study as a new offense resulting in a conviction and sentence to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
- Like said above, for sex offenders, recidivism should be the commission of another sex crime.

Analyzing follow-up periods of one, two, and three years, the report shows the three-year follow-up recidivism rate decreased by 28.5% from 1993 to 2007.

Read the rest of the article

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CANADA - Support stops sex offenders - Program that helps released offenders ease into community also reduces chances they'll reoffend

Original Article

08/12/2012

By Glenda Luymes

What is the best way to prevent a sex offender at the end of his prison term from victimizing someone else?

The answer is simple, according to experts: provide a community of support.

But try to find a supportive community, and things get a whole lot more complicated.

"Our natural tendency is to push these people away. But it turns out to be the worst possible thing we can do," said Andrew McWhinnie, who works with sex offenders in his role as an adviser with Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA).

The not-for-profit program, which is funded by various government departments, including the chaplaincy division of the Correctional Service of Canada, works under the tag line No More Victims.

But its work - providing support to sex offenders in the community - would likely be distasteful to any-one who has ever been the victim of a sex crime.

Sex offenders have been in the news at least four times this week in B.C. On Thursday, Abbotsford police arrested a child lurer who breached the conditions of his probation, only a few days after the department warned the community about another recently released offender who decided to take up residence in the city. Meanwhile, police on Vancouver Island arrested a sex offender with a backpack full of women's and girls' underwear, and another man is facing charges for allegedly molesting young boys at a public pool.

"Most people could care less about [sex] offenders," McWhinnie told the Sunday Province. "They want them to go back to jail ... but what they don't think about is how many more victims that can mean."

Instead, CoSA helps sex offenders ease back into society. Volunteers, at the request of the offender, can help him find housing, get him to appointments and make sure he/she has food. "Those first few days [after being released from jail] can be absolute hell," said McWhinnie, adding police alerts, which inform a community about the presence of a sex offender, can make daily life very difficult.

But the alerts, such as those recently issued by Abbotsford police after two sex offenders settled in that community, can also provide an added level of accountability.

One of the offenders, [name withheld], who was released from prison in February after being convicted of luring teenage boys online, was arrested Thursday for breaching the conditions of his probation in a ruse that was "remarkably similar" to his previous crimes. [name withheld]'s picture was released by police when he left prison, and it was an alert citizen who brought his recent online activity to police attention, said Abbots-ford police Const. Ian MacDonald.

In 2010, while [name withheld] was on bail awaiting trial, another citizen spotted the sex offender sitting in a hot tub at an Abbotsford public pool and called police.

Last week, when child sex tourist [name withheld] decided to make Abbotsford his home, police issued another warning and a map highlighting his new neighbourhood.

MacDonald defended the department's decision to issue the public alerts, saying warnings are not made lightly and are not made with the intention of running the offender out of town.

"We consider the individual's right to privacy, and we try to find a balance," MacDonald explained. Police and behavioural sciences officers look at each case independently with the ultimate goal of keeping people safe. In Abbotsford, the chief or deputy chief must sign off on all public notifications. The privacy commission is also notified, as well as the offender himself.

MacDonald said police are very aware that offenders with support are less likely to reoffend.

Conversely, it is offenders who feel alienated and isolated who are at risk of falling back into old behaviour and hidden sexual deviance, said Simon Fraser University criminologist Rob Gordon.

Statistics show about 14 per cent of sex offenders will reoffend in the five years after their release from prison. That number drops to six per cent after 10 years and four per cent after 15 years.
- More recidivism studies here.

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NC - Circles for sex offenders first in the South

Original Article

03/21/2012

By DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN

DURHAM -- Durham is starting the first Circles of Safety and Accountability in the South for sex offenders getting out of prison. COSA will match recently released sex offenders in Durham with a circle of people who will meet with them weekly to hold them accountable and support them in re-entering the community.

Durham County is home to about 300 convicted sex offenders.

The COSA steering committee is led by Nick McGeorge, who lives in Durham and in England and was a principal psychologist in the English prison system. He started circles in the United Kingdom in 2002. Circles were first developed in Canada in 1994, and both projects have been successful in reducing rates of reoffenses. The Durham COSA steering group includes representatives from the N.C. Department of Public Safety, Durham Criminal Justice Center and those will experience in corrections, community support for ex-offenders, child protection work, restorative justice and criminal courts.

McGeorge is also a Quaker, and Quakers led the circles in the UK, while Mennonites led circles in Canada. The circle in Durham is the second on the East Coast, following Pennsylvania. There are also circle programs in Minnesota, California and Washington state. McGeorge said he has found that church groups are more interested finding volunteers. The appeal for volunteers in Durham has gone out on the list serve of Durham Congregations in Action, which has given seed money to COSA. The program is also launching with a private donation.

Gudrun Parmer, director of the Durham Criminal Justice Resource Center, said that Durham is fertile ground for COSA because of what it already has in place.

“We already have faith teams [for prisoner re-entry programs] and an interested and active community who believe in rehabilitation,” she said. However, talking about sex offenders is uncomfortable, Parmer said. Volunteers participate for different reasons, she said. Some because of their faith and interest in restorative justice and surrounding them with positive people, Parmer said. Others might be interested because they are connected to the criminal justice system and this is a new model, she said. Volunteer training begins this weekend.

Circles of four to seven people will form around a registered sex offender, called the core member. The core member will be on supervised probation through the criminal justice system already. Circles will visit the offender’s home and meet with the individuals weekly to hold them accountable, as well as help them with re-entry issues like housing and employment. The offenders are in the circle voluntarily. The first person in a Durham circle will be released from prison in May.

Parmer said that many people coming out of prison have no one to go home to, and having a circle is a positive thing.

Circles give the offender another model of life, McGeorge said. The circles are also there to notice things before a reoffense occurs, he said, like questioning an offender who is dating a woman with children. Core members can contact the circle if they feel in distress, and circles are available 24/7, when agencies aren’t open.

McGeorge said the circle can act as an early warning system, both helping reintegration and able to stop reoffending.

“The result is no more victims,” he said.

Training for Circles of Safety and Accountability volunteers will be held this weekend. The deadline to sign up is noon Friday at (919) 383-5160 or office@humankindness.org. The Human Kindness Foundation is offering administrative help for the training.

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No Safety in Numbers

COSA

Original Article

09/15/2011

By Steven Yoder

It’s a Monday evening in February, and four people sit around a conference table at a United Church of Christ in Fresno, California. The fluorescent lighting makes the room feel cold. But the people here have a warm demeanor and a seriousness of purpose. They’re part of a group called Circle of Support and Accountability (COSA), and they help manage recently released sex offenders.

The focus of the group’s work is “Jim,” a convicted offender in his 40s who’s near the end of his parole. Each member says a few words about how their week has been. Jim’s hasn’t gone so well—he’s felt lonely. He has a temp job and a 7 p.m. curfew, so after work every day, he goes home, eats dinner, and goes to bed. Even his brother doesn’t always want to talk to him. Warning flags go up for Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower, the program’s 63-year-old director, as Jim talks about how cut off he feels. “Do you think you’re going to do things that you know you shouldn’t do?” she asks.

He admits that he’s thought about drinking again. “Wasn’t that something that was a big part of your life before?” asks Heidi, a seminary student with a pierced tongue and multiple earrings. “You can’t blame what you did on your drinking problem, but as we’ve talked about, it’s something that you have to pay attention to.”

“I know,” he says.

“If you’re needing to meet people, find something to occupy your time, you could go to Alcoholics Anonymous,” suggests Ruth- Heffelbower. “You can make some new friends, maybe even meet a female friend that you like,” she says.

“Well, OK, that’s a good idea,” he says softly. “I’ll go.”

When they reconvene the following Monday, Jim admits he hasn’t made it to AA. This time Ruth-Heffelbower brought a meeting schedule, though, and Jim says he’ll go on Saturday. Another COSA volunteer suggests someone who could give him a ride.

This strategy runs counter to the prevailing approach to managing those convicted of sex crimes. In every state, once offenders are released from prison they are required to register their names, addresses, and photos. Putting such information in the public domain, the theory goes, will make them less likely to commit another sex crime because they know they’re being watched. But in practice, it hasn’t been that simple.

Registries began as a sound idea that grew from a terrible crime. On an October night in 1989, a masked gunman abducted Jacob Wetterling, an 11-year-old Minnesota boy. He was never found. Over the next five years, Jacob’s parents successfully pushed for legislation requiring sex-offender registries that would be accessible to the police, though not the public. President Clinton signed the Jacob Wetterling Act in September 1994. It gave police a critical tool that they could use to quickly check suspects early in a sex crime case.

On July 29, 1994, as the Wetterling Act was making its way through Congress, a 7-year-old in New Jersey named Megan Kanka was raped and strangled by a neighbor with a history of sex offenses. Kanka’s parents lobbied for Megan’s Law, which Clinton signed in May 1996, expanding the Wetterling Act to require states to open up their sex-offender registries to the public. “In some ways,” says Jacob Wetterling’s mother, Patty, “Megan’s Law hijacked our intentions.”

The impact of putting offenders’ identities into the hands of a fearful public was predictable. In a 2005 study, 47 percent of 121 sex offenders interviewed said they’d been harassed as a result of being on a registry, and 16 percent said that they’d been assaulted. Since 2005, at least five sex offenders have been murdered by people who used a registry to track them. A 2007 Human Rights Watch study (Video) found that private employers were reluctant to hire sex offenders, and a 2008 U.S. Department of Justice report concluded that cases of offenders being forced into homelessness were “widely reported.”

While registries have been very effective at marginalizing convicted offenders, a December 2008 study (Video) on the impact of Megan’s Law in New Jersey found that the law “has no effect on reducing the number of victims involved in sexual offenses.” Studies in other states came to similar conclusions. In 2009, analysts at the Washington State Institute for Public Policy looked at seven studies on recidivism by registered offenders. Only two showed that being on a registry decreased the chances that an offender would commit another sex crime.

The public, however, remains convinced that registries work. In a national poll of 1,005 people early last year, 79 percent said they thought registration is an effective deterrent. And offender registries are making inroads in other areas of crime policy. Since 2005, at least 13 states have launched websites listing those convicted of a range of offenses, from manufacturing meth to drunk driving.

By these standards, COSA’s approach seems crazy. But the model is almost as old as sex-offender registries themselves. In the summer of 1994, a psychologist at the Correctional Service of Canada named Bill Palmer was desperate to prevent a high-risk child molester named [name withheld] from victimizing another child. While sex offenders’ risk of committing another crime varies considerably, reoffense rates for untreated offenders who target children can run as high as 40 percent. So Palmer connected [name withheld] with a local Mennonite minister, Harry Nigh, who agreed to have several members of his congregation help keep an eye on [name withheld].

That group, which called itself “Charlie’s Angels,” was the first COSA, a model that has since been adopted in 16 sites in Canada and has spread to four U.S. states and Great Britain. The service matches each offender with four to six volunteers, who provide emotional support and lend a hand on practical details, from job applications to transportation. Volunteers are trained to monitor the offender’s behavior for signs of relapse. “We’re not there to hold the hand of a sex offender because he’s a poor sad guy who everybody despises,” says Andrew McWhinnie, national adviser to the Correctional Service on the COSA program. “Yes, we’re there for that, too, because he’s a human being and no one is disposable. But the reason is that we don’t want to see any more sexual victims.”

[name withheld] died in 2005 having never committed another sex crime. The first study of the program, published in 2005 by the Correctional Service of Canada, found that offenders who had been through COSA were 70 percent less likely than those who hadn’t to return to prison because of a sex offense. A second study conducted in 2007 and a third, published in the journal Sex Abuse in 2009, both found an 83 percent drop.

Attempts to replicate COSA in the United States are in early stages, but when the Fresno group was evaluated in September 2009, none of the 16 offenders who had been through the program had reoffended, according to Ruth-Heffelbower.

Jim’s experience shows that while support and accountability go together, keeping sex offenders on the right track isn’t easy. He never made it to AA. The week after the COSA meeting, his parole officer searched his hotel room and found pornography, a violation. So he went back to prison for two months.

But Ruth-Heffelbower wrote to him, and Jim replied that he wanted to continue meeting with COSA when he got out. Ruth- Heffelbower sees progress: “When people like him mess up, if they continue working with us when they come out, they’re much more serious and open.”

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Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) - Dr. Robin Wilson Interview on KPFA

Video Link | COSA Web Site

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UK - Does 'befriending' sex offenders stop new crimes?

Original Article

04/09/2010

By Bob Howard

Paedophiles and other sex offenders are the subject of regular public outrage and demands for longer jail terms, but could "befriending" them be the best way to stop them committing more crimes?

"I said to myself my worst nightmare is someone who offended against very young girls because my nieces are those ages. Sure enough, that's exactly what I got."

Sarah from London is a volunteer working with a category of former prisoners few of us would feel comfortable meeting at all, let alone on a regular basis.

Along with four others she regularly meets a man convicted of serious sex offences against children who has since been released back into the community.

She's part of a "circle" which befriends but also monitors offenders. The idea came from Canada where a survey by the country's prison service found it reduced re-offending by 70%.

The first circles (Facebook) in the UK were formed in 2002 and there are currently 63 running across England and Wales. It is based on the premise that while some offenders have friends and family to return to when they come out of prison, others have not and the more isolated they are, the more likely they are to re-offend.

Sarah says she was partly inspired to volunteer by the press coverage surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

"There was a lot of press talking about paedophiles, lots of big splash front pages saying 'evil'. I started to think there's got to be a way to stop this from happening in the beginning."

Sarah joined her circle through child protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, one of several organisations which run circles in the UK. Volunteers receive 20 hours of instruction and are supported by a liaison officer.

They meet offenders discreetly in local cafes where they talk about everything from what could lead to re-offending to finding work and fitting back into society.

Emotionally charged

Before the first meeting, they are told a lot of detail about the crimes and background of the offender. The meetings with the group - 4-6 volunteers plus the offender - are for about an hour, once a week, for the first few months, with the whole programme lasting one or two years. Each member of the group typically speaks to the offender on the phone at least once a week.

Despite her initial concerns, Sarah has been able to work with two offenders, both of whom have been imprisoned for offences against girls under 14. Sarah found the first encounter was highly emotionally charged.

"There's a lot of trepidation. You never know how you're going to react. Your first instinct is to feel disgust and revulsion over what they've done."

Sarah believes by questioning offenders about their behaviour and helping them settle back into everyday life she has helped to keep them from re-offending. In the case of the offender she is currently working with, Sarah believes her group has helped him turn round a long history of offending behaviour.

"I don't consider myself a bleeding-heart liberal. I'm someone who looks at the big picture and tries to find a solution. As far as the police tell us he hasn't offended in five years. He doesn't want to re-offend again, he doesn't want to create any more victims."

Grooming spotted

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation says of the 35 offenders who have taken part in their circles project so far, only three have been found to have re-offended.

In one of these cases, volunteers in East Anglia say they became suspicious of the offender's behaviour. Circle volunteer Ian says from the start they felt there was something wrong.

"He was telling us things which just didn't sound right. We reported it. The police reckoned he was grooming a young boy."

The offender was subsequently sent back to prison.

Donald Findlater, director of research and development at The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, says great care is taken in choosing which offenders are selected. A determination to change their behaviour pattern is key.

"Not all sex offenders are suitable for a circle. Professional staff need to assess that the individual is committed to leading a good life and keen to get support in doing this."

He feels in the vast majority of cases the circles have been effective.

"I have no doubt that circles are making a tangible difference to the lives that sex offenders lead and to the safety of the public."

Circles are part of a wider programme to rehabilitate sex offenders. The National Offender Management Service offers treatment to around 1,200 sex offenders a year in prison and the same number who have been released back into the community.

Many experts with experience in rehabilitating sex offenders agree circles have potential to stop re-offending, but they are only part of the overall effort to stop further crimes being committed.

"Circles have a lot to offer, particularly in cases of very socially isolated sexual offenders or offenders," says David Middleton, professor of community and criminal justice at De Montfort University, and former head of the government's sex offender strategy and programmes.

"However they are not a substitute for experienced and well trained professionals."

The circles projects are part funded by government money channelled through local police, probation and offender management budgets. This frustrates some victims group who feel more money should be directed at those who have been abused.

Many are also highly sceptical that sex offenders can be rehabilitated. Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood, feels while circles may have some value, there are more reliable ways of monitoring offenders.
- Like what?

"Abusers cannot be trusted at their word. We tend to favour the idea that these kind of offenders need to be electronically tagged for a very long time."

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UK - Does 'befriending' sex offenders stop new crimes?

Original Article

04/09/2010

By Bob Howard

Paedophiles and other sex offenders are the subject of regular public outrage and demands for longer jail terms, but could "befriending" them be the best way to stop them committing more crimes?

"I said to myself my worst nightmare is someone who offended against very young girls because my nieces are those ages. Sure enough, that's exactly what I got."

Sarah from London is a volunteer working with a category of former prisoners few of us would feel comfortable meeting at all, let alone on a regular basis.

Along with four others she regularly meets a man convicted of serious sex offences against children who has since been released back into the community.

She's part of a "circle" which befriends but also monitors offenders. The idea came from Canada where a survey by the country's prison service found it reduced re-offending by 70%.

The first circles in the UK were formed in 2002 and there are currently 63 running across England and Wales. It is based on the premise that while some offenders have friends and family to return to when they come out of prison, others have not and the more isolated they are, the more likely they are to re-offend.

Sarah says she was partly inspired to volunteer by the press coverage surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

"There was a lot of press talking about paedophiles, lots of big splash front pages saying 'evil'. I started to think there's got to be a way to stop this from happening in the beginning."

Sarah joined her circle through child protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, one of several organisations which run circles in the UK. Volunteers receive 20 hours of instruction and are supported by a liaison officer.

They meet offenders discreetly in local cafes where they talk about everything from what could lead to re-offending to finding work and fitting back into society.

Emotionally charged

Before the first meeting, they are told a lot of detail about the crimes and background of the offender. The meetings with the group - 4-6 volunteers plus the offender - are for about an hour, once a week, for the first few months, with the whole programme lasting one or two years. Each member of the group typically speaks to the offender on the phone at least once a week.

Despite her initial concerns, Sarah has been able to work with two offenders, both of whom have been imprisoned for offences against girls under 14. Sarah found the first encounter was highly emotionally charged.

"There's a lot of trepidation. You never know how you're going to react. Your first instinct is to feel disgust and revulsion over what they've done."

Sarah believes by questioning offenders about their behaviour and helping them settle back into everyday life she has helped to keep them from re-offending. In the case of the offender she is currently working with, Sarah believes her group has helped him turn round a long history of offending behaviour.

"I don't consider myself a bleeding-heart liberal. I'm someone who looks at the big picture and tries to find a solution. As far as the police tell us he hasn't offended in five years. He doesn't want to re-offend again, he doesn't want to create any more victims."

Grooming spotted

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation says of the 35 offenders who have taken part in their circles project so far, only three have been found to have re-offended.

In one of these cases, volunteers in East Anglia say they became suspicious of the offender's behaviour. Circle volunteer Ian says from the start they felt there was something wrong.

"He was telling us things which just didn't sound right. We reported it. The police reckoned he was grooming a young boy."

The offender was subsequently sent back to prison.

Donald Findlater, director of research and development at The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, says great care is taken in choosing which offenders are selected. A determination to change their behaviour pattern is key.

"Not all sex offenders are suitable for a circle. Professional staff need to assess that the individual is committed to leading a good life and keen to get support in doing this."

He feels in the vast majority of cases the circles have been effective.

"I have no doubt that circles are making a tangible difference to the lives that sex offenders lead and to the safety of the public."

Circles are part of a wider programme to rehabilitate sex offenders. The National Offender Management Service offers treatment to around 1,200 sex offenders a year in prison and the same number who have been released back into the community.

Many experts with experience in rehabilitating sex offenders agree circles have potential to stop re-offending, but they are only part of the overall effort to stop further crimes being committed.

"Circles have a lot to offer, particularly in cases of very socially isolated sexual offenders or offenders," says David Middleton, professor of community and criminal justice at De Montfort University, and former head of the government's sex offender strategy and programmes.

"However they are not a substitute for experienced and well trained professionals."

The circles projects are part funded by government money channelled through local police, probation and offender management budgets. This frustrates some victims group who feel more money should be directed at those who have been abused.

Many are also highly sceptical that sex offenders can be rehabilitated. Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood, feels while circles may have some value, there are more reliable ways of monitoring offenders.

"Abusers cannot be trusted at their word. We tend to favour the idea that these kind of offenders need to be electronically tagged for a very long time."

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"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

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UK - Volunteers wanted to help protect children from abuse

Original Article

12/31/2009

By Emma Foster

Londoners considering volunteering in 2010 are being invited to give up their time to help protect children from sexual abuse.

Child protection charity, The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, is currently looking for volunteers to help run four Circles of support and accountability projects within the London area.

The Circles are run by the foundation's staff and are aimed at reducing the risk posed by known sex offenders, such as those returning to a community following completion of a prison sentence.

Organised around a known sex offender, referred to as the 'core member', each Circle is made up of four to six volunteers from the community, who work alongside the offender to help him or her reintegrate into the community.

Volunteers are supported by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, police officers, probation staff and treatment experts.

The core member must be committed to leading an offence-free lifestyle and is accountable to the Circle for their behaviour and actions.

Blair Parrott, Circles development officer, said: "The safety of the community lies at the heart of each Circle and there is good communication with and support from agencies such as the Police and Probation Services."

"Research has shown that isolation and emotional loneliness are linked to an increased risk of re-offending in sex offenders. That's why the Circles, which offer practical and emotional support to the core member, are so very important."

Originating from Canada, Circles projects have been running in the UK since 2002 and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation has operated 35 successful ones across the country to date.

Mr Parrott said: "There is a lot to be gained from volunteering as a Circle member, not least knowing that you are sharing responsibility for addressing concerns within your own community."

"Volunteers routinely tell us they experience enormous satisfaction through helping a past offender to lead a better life and through knowing they are contributing to the protection of children."

"Volunteers are told about the core member's past pattern of offending and alongside helping to settle them into the community, they look to help them recognise and manage risky thoughts and behaviours."

"Each Circle is unique because it is built around the needs of the core member. Circles last for between 12 months and two years, as long as there is a need to support the individual and monitor risk. Obviously, volunteer involvement will diminish over time."

One London-based core member, who has been part of the project since November 2007, said his Circle had been invaluable.

He said: "When I came out of prison, I had lost contact with my friends and family due to the nature of my offences."

"If it wasn't for the Circle, I would have ended up totally isolated."

"Now, if I have worrying thoughts or am at risk of re-offending, I can ask for help. There is help available."

"Circles can be life changing and at the end of the day children are being protected, that's what's important."

Anyone over the age of 21 can volunteer for the scheme, as long as they are prepared to give up some free time each week for up to a year. They will be required to undergo a thorough selection process, including a Criminal Records Bureau check, after which they will attend a training programme to give them the information and skills they will need to support the core member.

Volunteers will have access to support from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation for the life of the Circle.

Anyone wishing to volunteer for the Circle of Support and Accountability project or wanting to know more about the Circles projects can call Blair Parrott on 01372 847160 or email bparrott@lucyfaithfull.org.uk.

Named after its founder, Baroness Lucy Faithfull of Wolvercote, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation is a child protection charity operating UK-wide and specialising in safeguarding children from sexual abuse. Staff assess and treat people perpetrating and affected by child sexual abuse and contribute to research into developing effective interventions.

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CANADA - Sex Offender Support Circles Help Keep Communities Safe

View the article here

10/21/2009

By Joan Delaney

After Charlie Taylor was released from a federal penitentiary in 1994 the reaction from his home community of Hamilton was swift. There were angry calls for political intervention, picketing, heightened media attention, and 24-hour police surveillance.

Taylor was a high-risk pedophile who had just finished a seven-year sentence for sexual crimes against children—his fourth stint in jail for such offences. He was mentally disabled with no means of support and the people of Hamilton did not want Taylor around their children.

“Could you put him on a Mennonite farm?” Bill Palmer, a prison psychologist asked Harry Nigh, a Mennonite minister and Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) community chaplain who already knew Taylor.

The farm idea didn’t work out, but Rev. Nigh gathered a group of volunteers, mostly Mennonite congregants, who set up a “circle” of support for Taylor to integrate him into the community while holding him accountable.

“We had no intention of it being a project or a program. Actually, if I’d had any idea of what was going to happen, at least in that immediate short-term, I probably would have found a way to duck out of it,” says Nigh, referring to the seemingly insurmountable problems that cropped up initially.

Three months later Wray Budreo, one of Canada's most notorious pedophiles who had been in and out of prison for 30 years for sexually assaulting young boys, was released in Toronto.

Amidst another public outcry, a group of volunteers there organized a second circle with the same parameters, and Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA), sponsored in part by Correctional Services, was up and running.

“There was the realization that maybe something was happening that we could give that could be a source of hope to other communities, because people just get paralyzed around this stuff,” says Nigh.

With a mantra of “No More Victims,” the main goal of COSA is to reduce the risk of future sexual crimes by assisting and supporting released offenders who are often shunned by their friends and family out of fear.

COSAs work closely with the police, and if the core member reoffends the police are notified immediately.

At the outset Rev. Nigh was sure that, like most pedophiles, it would be only a matter of time before Charlie Taylor reoffended. But Taylor died in 2006—12 years after his circle was formed—without ever committing another sex crime. Likewise Budreo, who died 14 years after his release.

Indeed, COSAs have been shown to have a positive impact on recidivism rates. A study by CSC compared a group of 60 high-risk sex offenders involved in COSA with 60 who had been released at the end of their sentence but who had not been part of a support circle.

The results showed that offenders who participated in COSAs had a 70 percent reduction in sexual recidivism compared to the non-COSA group. There was also a large reduction in violent recidivism in the COSA group.

For those in the COSA group who did reoffend sexually, the study found that the offenses were categorically less severe than prior offenses. This was not observed in the matched comparison group.

It was an innovative response to a complicated situation, and it caught on. Today, this uniquely Canadian initiative has been implemented across Canada, in several U.S. states, and in Britain’s Thames Valley region. Countries including the Netherlands, Bermuda, and South Africa are also showing interest.

“We all work best when we are supported and held accountable,” says Eileen Henderson, the Restorative Justice Coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee Ontario who has worked with the Ontario COSA project for 10 years.
- This is something I have said for my entire life.  If you treat people like human beings, help them, and treat them with respect, it does help, and this program is proof.  We should implement it in all US states, IMO.

Typically, about five volunteers enter into an agreement with a newly released sex offender, called a “core member.” At least one volunteer meets with the core member on a daily basis for the first 60 to 90 days, while the others have weekly contact, and the full circle meets on a weekly basis. However, the circle’s involvement with the core member continues long term.

The sex offender, who is helped with such things as finding housing, securing a stable income, and attending medical appointments, pledges to abide by any conditions imposed by the court and to communicate openly with circle members.

“It’s an environment where they can be open and honest about their past and what they’re thinking and feeling, at the same time knowing that there is acceptance, there’s support, but also accountability factored in,” Henderson says.

The relationship that develops between the sex offender and the other circle members is all-important, she says, as it strengthens the offender’s commitment to being accountable.

“That’s our only real tie with the men that we walk with.... Accountability is all about the value of the relationship and the desire to move forward.”

As for core members, the CSC study found that they reported feeling less nervous, afraid, and angry as a result of their experience in a COSA. They also reported that they were more realistic in their perspectives, more confident, felt more accepted, and experienced pride for not reoffending.

“It’s not that easy to get a sex offender to stop doing what they have been doing,” says Robert Gordon, director of criminology at Simon Fraser University.

“So rather than having these folks locked up in perpetuity or at least until they’re way past the point when they don’t have any interest, [COSA] is a solution for communities, and especially for those communities who rightly have great concerns about discharged sex offenders living in their midst.”

COSA’s weakness, says Gordon, is that it depends on volunteers, which sometimes raises recruitment challenges. “But fortunately there appears to be an army of interested people coming from the faith communities.”

In the process evaluation for the CSC study, the majority of COSA volunteers said they were motivated by a “need to be involved” in their community, and more than three-quarters felt a sense of teamwork in their circles work.

"It gets into your soul I think,” says Henderson. “It’s just a very powerful community.”

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"That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing." - Martin Luther King (United States Constitution, Bill of Rights)

© 2006-2009 Sex Offender Issues , All Rights Reserved

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UK - Volunteering with sex offenders

View the article here

06/04/2009

By Preeti Jha

Once a week Paula Hardiman meets three others in the pub for a meal, sometimes they go for a walk in the countryside. They might talk about their day, their concerns or future plans.

It's not an unusual gathering but for one member of the group who is a convicted sex offender.

Ms Hardiman is part of a team of 35 volunteers in north Wales that helps to rehabilitate sex offenders by forming "circles", or groups, and offering support to reduce the risk of future abuse.

On Thursday the team will join 15 other winners at a presentation of the annual volunteering awards, run by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA).

"I recognise that working with sex offenders is not everyone's cup of tea, but someone has to deal with it."

Circles of Support and Accountability (Cosa), first developed by a Mennonite Church in Ontario, Canada, in 1994, emerged as a concept in the UK nine years ago.

The organisation trains volunteers to monitor and support sex offenders who have demonstrated a commitment to stop offending.

Community project

"These are risky individuals. It's much safer if the community knows where they are and what they're doing than if they go underground," said Juliet Ennis, project development manager for Cosa in north Wales, one of seven projects in the UK.

Ms Hardiman, 36, who joined Cosa in October 2008, like other volunteers, wanted "to make a difference".

"As a mother of three I think I'm contributing not only to the safety of my children but also of others in the community."

Up to three volunteers are attached to an offender, known as a "core member", with meetings usually held once a week, for three hours.

Time and place are flexible, said Billy (surname withheld), who joined Cosa when it was first set-up in Wales in 2007.

At present he is part of two circles, alternating between a four-member group and one-on-one mentoring sessions, which can involve anything from a trip to the theatre or cinema to a chat in the pub.

"My wife doesn't want to get involved because she's frightened she might like the person," said Billy.

"You've got to accept, though," he said, "that some of these offenders are likeable, they're also clever and manipulative."

"I get on with the ones I'm working with. But I don't trust them."

Volunteers are trained to help offenders build a new life - from offering advice on practical matters like finding a job or housing to exploring more emotional problems. If they suspect something is wrong they have been told to report it to the probation officers.

Talking about the offence itself can be a particularly challenging aspect of the role.

Ms Hardiman said: "Knowing what to say is difficult, we're not there to sympathise, the aim is to stop them reoffending."

'Despised groups'

Chris Higgins, of north Wales probation area, who nominated Cosa for the award, said: "They deserve special recognition because they are willing to work with one of the most socially excluded and despised groups of offenders."

"The volunteers demonstrate humanity, long-term commitment and an ability to balance the needs of offenders and the wider community."

But some people have been hostile about the nature of the volunteer work, said Billy, 54.

"Wouldn't it be better if they were all locked up, what are you doing with those perverts, they've said. But I've seen how these offences can damage lives."

"It has a huge impact not only on the child or victim but also their family, and, the often-forgotten family of the offender. We're working so that families and communities aren't ripped apart."

Cosa in north Wales has worked with 20 offenders since its inception, none have reoffended, said Ms Ennis.

First piloted in Wrexham, the project has spread to Flintshire, Colwyn Bay and Bangor as it has recruited more volunteers - a further 20 are waiting to be trained.

'Inspiration'

Ms Hardiman, who is studying for a degree in public and social policy, hopes to one day work in the probation sector. "The award," she said, "will bring recognition to a subject a lot of people don't want to approach."

WCVA received over 210 nominations from across Wales for its annual awards this year. Chief executive Graham Benfield said: "They are an inspiration - the number of people nominated every year shows us just how strong the volunteering ethos is in Wales."

The 16 winners will receive their awards as part of Volunteers Week 2009 at a presentation ceremony in Cardiff Castle on Thursday 4 June.

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CANADA - Group offers support for sex offenders

View the article here

12/08/2008

Volunteers who support high-risk sex offenders in the community often hate the crime but are willing to help the criminal.

Chris Penner-Mayoh, the co-ordinator of Circles of Support and Accountability for southern Saskatchewan (CoSA), plans to provide support for convicted rapist and child murderer Harold David Smeltzer.

Penner-Mayoh admits that some people find it repugnant to assist someone who's committed heinous crimes.

"But there are people in the community, though, who maybe because of their faith, background or their philosophy in life are able to say, 'I detest what he's done but I can see that he's still a human being. He's still a person and he needs friendship and relationships just like the rest of us,' " Penner-Mayoh said. "They see that the alternative to him not having it might be that someone else in the community gets hurt and they don't want that to happen so they're able to get past their initial disgust over what he's done to offer that support to him."

A couple of months ago, Smeltzer indicated that he wanted the organization's support after he was released on day parole in Regina. But first he had to convince members that he's taken responsibility for his offences, is willing to work with the circle and won't hurt anyone else.

Penner-Mayoh's involvement with CoSA began three years ago as a volunteer.

Volunteers are community members who are trained to lend support and ensure the accountability of high-risk sexual offenders. To recruit volunteers, Penner-Mayoh gives presentations to community and church groups.

He said it's natural that people feel fear and anger when they learn a sex offender is moving into their community and their first reaction is to push the person out of the community.

"On occasion someone will say, 'Lock him up forever,' or, 'Maybe we should bring in the death penalty,' because they're very angry about this topic," Penner-Mayoh said. "Most people I talk to about this have the reaction of saying, 'I'm glad somebody is doing it but I couldn't do it! Then some people are saying, 'That's a great idea. I could see how that would work and I want to get involved.' "

Penner-Mayoh worked with convicted sex offender Brian Solberg when he lived in the community. Solberg was sent back to jail in March after pleading guilty to a breach of his one-year recognizance for being in the building that housed the Regina Mental Health Clinic without getting permission from his probation officer to attend other services in that building.

Although Solberg is behind bars again, Penner-Mayoh said the circle didn't fail.

"It was better for him to make a mistake like that and go back to prison for 14 months than it is for him to not be in a circle, not have anyone in his life to see when he does something stupid and then things escalate," he said.

The circle includes the sex offender and four or five community volunteers. One volunteer sits on the CoSA steering committee, which includes representatives from faith denominations, police, parole, probation and Saskatchewan Justice.

"The circle doesn't act like a police officer -- they don't take the role of a counsellor or police, they don't take the role of a community watchdog," Penner-Mayoh said. "The main role of the circle is to offer friendship and support for the person but also to hold him accountable for his actions and for his attitudes, values, beliefs -- that sort of thing. So if he's saying or doing things that are inappropriate then you've got a group of people who can call him on it."

Often inmates like Smeltzer lack support and face a lot of hostility alone. Penner-Mayoh said several studies show that individuals with support are 70 to 80 per cent less likely to reoffend.

"The guys who have reoffended in these studies have reoffended less seriously than they had in the past and they were caught faster because there's people in their lives to see that things are going wrong," Penner-Mayoh said.

Volunteers act as friends and support people for the sex offender.

"In that capacity, if for example something were to go wrong and they saw that there were problems, then they do have a responsibility to tell me and to inform the police," said Penner-Mayoh. "And if he's got a parole or probation officer, (volunteers) have a responsibility to tell those authorities about what they see happening."

Usually volunteers meet with the sex offender weekly. In Smeltzer's case it will depend on his need.

"We don't know exactly what the public reaction is going to be," Penner-Mayoh said.

Anglican priest John Gardner took part in Solberg's circle and continues to visit him in jail every week. When Solberg is released in January and the circle resumes, Gardner will take part.

"The accountability means that when the offender is out in the community he probably committed his offences following on some kind of triggers that set him off," Gardner said. "These can be a variety of things. Alcohol and drugs are very common. Usually the offender is subject to an 810 order by the judge on his release. That says there are certain things that he's not allowed to do. He may not be allowed to be near schools or be allowed near the strolls in Regina where the prostitutes are. He may not be permitted to use drugs or alcohol."

The CoSA is aware of the triggers and draws up a contract with the offender.

"Everything that we do with him is done with the knowledge of the whole CoSA group," Gardner said. "We're all volunteers and are usually Christian inspired. When we're looking for volunteers, we go to local congregations in the various churches and ask people if they're interested in doing this work."

He said offenders who don't have support will likely commit similar offences again.

"He'll go back to his old ways of living, his old friends and associates, his old drug patterns and things like that. We can't guarantee that it will never happen but we do know that CoSA groups minimize the number of offences, minimize the number of repeat offenders," Gardner said.

He said when offenders are released from prison they don't know how to do simple daily living tasks such as taking a transit bus and often they're fearful.

"They think that everybody is looking at them. They think the police are watching them like mad, people are putting up posters with their face on it all over the place and they're quite scared," Gardner said. "They need someplace where they can talk about their feelings, talk about their hopes for the future."

If CoSA members are seriously concerned that an offender will reoffend they'll involve the police, Gardner said.

"We do that as a friend," he said. "This person may wind up in jail again and that may be the best solution for them at this time. It's not that we want to be soft on the person. We don't want repeat offences."

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

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