Circles South East: The First 10 Years 2002-2012
Abstract
This article describes the first 10 years of the implementation of Circles of Support and Accountability (Circles) in the management of sexual offenders in South-East England by Circles South East (CSE). The Circles of 71 core members are reviewed in detail, with reference to demographic data, offense and sentencing histories, risk assessment data, and considerations regarding Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements. A group of 71 comparison subjects who were referred to CSE and deemed suitable for but did not receive the service was identified. Follow-up behaviors of both groups are examined (including all forms of reconviction, breach of orders, and prison recall). Over a comparable follow-up period of 55 months, the incidence of violent and contact sexual reconviction in the comparison group was significantly higher than for the Circles cohort. Comparisons are made between expected and actual levels of sexual reconviction, with the Circles cohort showing lower than expected rate of sexual reconviction but not to a statistically significant degree.
Get full access to this article
View all access and purchase options for this article.
References
Andrews D. A., Bonta J. (2010). The psychology of criminal conduct (5th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
Bates A., Macrae R., Williams D., Webb C. (2012). Ever-increasing circles: A descriptive study of Hampshire and Thames Valley Circles of Support and Accountability 2002-9. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 18, 355-373.
Bates A., Saunders R., Wilson C. (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, 5, 19-42.
Bonta J. (1996). Risk-needs assessment and treatment. In Harland A. T. (Ed.), Choosing correctional options that work: Defining the demand and evaluating the supply (pp. 18-32). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Duwe G. (2012). Preliminary results from a randomized experiment in Minnesota: Can Circles of Support and Accountability work in the United States? Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 25, 143-165.
Farrall S., Maruna S. (2004). Desistance-focused criminal justice policy research. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 43, 358-367.
Friendship C., Thornton D. (2001). Sexual reconviction for sexual offenders discharged from prison in England and Wales. British Journal of Criminology, 41, 285-292.
Hanson R. K., Bussière M. T. (1998). Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 348-362.
Hanson R. K., Morton-Bourgon K. (2009). The accuracy of recidivism risk assessments for sexual offenders: A meta-analysis of 118 prediction studies. Psychological Assessment, 21, 1-21.
Hanson R. K., Thornton D. (2000). Improving risk assessment for sexual offenders: A comparison of three actuarial scales. Law and Human Behavior, 24, 119-136.
Hanvey S., Philpot T., Wilson C. (2011). A community-based approach to the reduction of sexual reoffending: Circles of Support and Accountability. London, England: Kingsley.
Helmus L. (2009). Re-norming static-99 recidivism estimates: Exploring base rate variability across sex offender samples (master’s thesis). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. MR58443)
Howard P. (2006). The offender assessment system: An evaluation of the second pilot (Home Office Research Findings No. 278). London, England: Home Office.
Kingston D., Yates P. M., Firestone P., Babchishin K., Bradford J. (2008). Long-term predictive validity of the Risk Matrix 2000: A comparison with the Static-99 and the sex offender risk appraisal guide. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 20, 466-484.
Laws D. R., Ward T. (2011). Desistance from sex offending: Alternatives to throwing away the keys. New York, NY: Guilford.
Levenson J. S., D’Amora D. A. (2007). Social policies designed to prevent sexual violence: The emperor’s new clothes? Criminal Justice Policy Review, 18, 168-199.
Marlatt G. A. (1998). Harm reduction: Pragmatic strategies for managing high-risk behaviors. New York, NY: Guilford.
Marshall W. L., Marshall L. E., Serran G. A., O’Brien M. D. (2011). Rehabilitating sexual offenders: A strength-based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
McNeill F. (2010). Travelling hopefully: Desistance research and probation practice. In Brayford J., Cowe F., Deering J. (Eds.), What else works? Creative work with offenders (pp. 36-60). Cullompton, UK: Willan.
McNeill F., Maruna S. (2007). Giving up and giving back: Desistance, generativity and social work with offenders. In McIvor G., Raynor P. (Eds.), Developments in social work with offenders (pp. 224-239). London, England: Kingsley.
McNeill F., Weaver B. (2010). Changing lives, desistance research and offender management. Glasgow, Scotland: Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research.
Quaker Peace and Social Witness. (2005). Circles of support and accountability in the Thames Valley; The first three years April 2002 to March 2005. London, England: Quaker Communications.
Silverman J., Wilson D. (2002). Innocence betrayed: Paedophilia, the media and society. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
Thornton D. (2002). Constructing and testing a framework for dynamic risk assessment. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 14, 139-153.
Ward T., Laws D. R. (2010). Desistance from sex offending: Motivating change, enriching practice. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 9, 11-23.
Ward T., Stewart C. (2003). The treatment of sex offenders: Risk management and good lives. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 353-360.
Willis G. M., Grace R. C. (2008). The quality of community reintegration planning for child molesters: Effects on sexual recidivism. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 20, 218-240.
Willis G. M., Grace R. C. (2009). Assessment of community reintegration planning for sex offenders: Poor planning predicts recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36, 494-512.
Wilson C., Saunders R. (2003). COSA—Questions and answers: The theoretical framework. NOTA News 45, 6-8.
Wilson R. J., Cortoni F., McWhinnie A. J. (2009). Circles of support and accountability: A Canadian national replication of outcome findings. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research & Treatment, 21, 412-430.
Wilson R. J., McWhinnie A. J., Wilson C. (2008). Circles of support and accountability: An international partnership in reducing sexual offender recidivism. Prison Service Journal, 138, 26-36.
Wilson R. J., Picheca J. E. (2005). Circles of support and accountability: Engaging the community in sexual offender risk management. In Schwartz B. (Ed.), The sex offender (Vol. 5, pp. 1-24). Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.
Wilson R. J., Picheca J. E., Prinzo M. (2005). Circles of support and accountability: An evaluation of the pilot project in South-Central Ontario. Ottawa, Ontario: Correctional Services of Canada.
Wilson R. J., Picheca J. E., Prinzo M. (2007a). Evaluating the effectiveness of professionally-facilitated volunteerism in the community-based management of high risk sexual offenders: PART ONE—Effects on participants and stakeholders. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 46, 289-302.
Wilson R. J., Picheca J. E., Prinzo M. (2007b). Evaluating the effectiveness of professionally-facilitated volunteerism in the community-based management of high risk sexual offenders: PART TWO—A comparison of recidivism rates. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 46, 327-337.
Wood J., Kemshall H. (2007). The operation and experience of multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). London, England: Home Office.
Cite article
Cite article
Cite article
OR
Download to reference manager
If you have citation software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice
Information, rights and permissions
Information
Published In
Article first published online: April 24, 2013
Issue published: July 2014
Keywords
PubMed: 23615793
Authors
Metrics and citations
Metrics
Journals metrics
This article was published in International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.
View All Journal MetricsArticle usage*
Total views and downloads: 1389
*Article usage tracking started in December 2016
Articles citing this one
Receive email alerts when this article is cited
Web of Science: 37 view articles Opens in new tab
Crossref: 40
- Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) for Core Members Who Identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual+ (LGBTQIA+): An Exploratory Study
- Sexual Crime
- Protectors of Society: Understanding the Impact of Courtesy Stigma on the Experiences of Volunteers Working With Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offences
- Framing Perpetrators of Sexual Violence Who Participate in Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA): An Analysis of Global Print Media Reporting
- Sexual Offending: The impact of the juxtaposition between social constructions and evidence-based approaches
- What Works (or Does Not) in Community Risk Management for Persons Convicted of Sexual Offenses? A Contemporary Perspective
- What Do Victim/Survivors of Sexual Violence Think about Circles of Support and Accountability?
- Conceptualising success and failure in Circles of Support and Accountability
- Circles of Support and Accountability: The Role of Social Relations in Core Member Desistance
- The Wiley Handbook of What Works in Violence Risk Management
- View More
Figures and tables
Figures & Media
Tables
View Options
Access options
If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:
I am signed in as:
View my profileSign out
I can access personal subscriptions, purchases, paired institutional access and free tools such as favourite journals, email alerts and saved searches.
loading institutional access options
Alternatively, view purchase options below:
Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.
Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.
