The Benefits of Circles of Support and Accountability

Poster by Circle of Support and Accountability (CoSA)

CoSA began its work in 1994 in Hamilton, Ontario, where it had success with a repeat sex offender who was released at WED, when a Mennonite pastor, Rev. Harry Nigh, identified the desperate situation and, with a small group of his parishioners, befriended the offender and set up a support group to help find him a place to live and to minimize his risk to children. When the group first began, the local community was outraged and picketing and death threats to the pastor and his volunteers were regular occurrences.  However, as time went on and the man continued to live in the community without incident, concern about his presence subsided.  Also in 1994, a second program began in Toronto under a similar set of circumstances for a pedophile with 36 convictions. Both men lived in the community without reoffending for over 10 years – they both died of natural causes.

Due to the success of these two pilot projects, Correctional Services Canada and the Mennonite Central Committee agreed to provide funding to continue support for these men and to expand the initiative across Canada.

CoSA now operates in 22 Canadian cities, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and has become an international model in addressing the global dilemma of sexual victimization.  Based on the success of the Ontario projects, CoSA has expanded outside of Canada with programs (or interest) in some states in the United States, as well as in England, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Japan, Israel and Rwanda.

The Ottawa chapter of CoSA in 2002 and, since that time, approximately 20 men have gone through its program, none of which have re-offended sexually. Each offender, along with his volunteers, signs a covenant (contract) to commit to the terms of the program and to agree to be involved for a minimum period of one year. The men who participate voluntarily in the program join to gain support in their efforts to reintegrate into society – quite a daunting task after years of incarceration – but they also commit to never again harming another person.

CoSA is guided by two key principles: “no more victims” and “no one is disposable”.  CoSA condemns the offense but, based on restorative justice principles, accepts the person as a human being worthy of the chance to turn his life around and to find a place in society in a crime-free, responsible manner.  Studies show that CoSA reduces recidivism by 70%.

Unique and deceptively simple, Circles of Support and Accountability engages small groups of ordinary citizens who meet weekly with a sexual offender (referred to as a Core Member) to help him succeed in his life outside prison and to ensure that he doesn't re-offend. They become the man's surrogate family, his friends and his community as they help ease his safe transition back into society. They assist him in his struggle to deal with bureaucracy, landlords, job interviews and battles with addictions.  During their time with him, the volunteers are always watching for unusual behaviour or signs that could trigger a relapse and they insist the man to take responsibility for his actions.  It is a simple concept, but it is not easy.  It takes time and patience to change a life-time of problematic behavior and attitudes or, as is often the case, to overcome the effects of childhood abuse or neglect.  This often involves counseling and programs for substance abuse, anger management or sexual deviance.  It has been observed that the most powerful aspect of the CoSA program is the sense of belonging or the degree of attachment that the man has with his volunteers and the trust that develops – often the first time in his life he had such close relationships or anyone to care for him.

The great thing about CoSA is that it is cost-effective as it is fuelled by volunteers.  However, it is essential to adequately fund the coordinator’s position so that s/he can invest the requisite time needed to ensure the safe management of the groups, to conduct the training program and recruit and screen new volunteers, and to assess the suitability of applicants for the program.  Although this initiative may sound like an essential service that strives to ensure the safety of our citizens – primarily of our children – CoSA-Ottawa surprisingly is funded for a mere 24 hours a month.

To offset this financial shortcoming, Circle of Support and Accountability is holding a benefit concert to raise much-needed funds.  The Cambridge Male Chorus, who has been performing for over 45 years, has offered its talents to CoSA.  Dave Andrews, an emerging local musician/composer, will kick off the evening and a reception will follow the performances – all are welcome to enjoy refreshments and to mingle with CoSA folks to learn more about the program.

The concert will be held on May 24, 2008 at the Church of St. John the Evangelist (Elgin St at Somerset).  Tickets are $20 ($15 Seniors & Students and those with low income) and are available at the church and at Leading Note Music, 370 Elgin St.

For more information on CoSA and the Benefit Concert, contact Susan Love, the program coordinator, at (613) 266-6309, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.stjohnsottawa.ca/pages/cosa.html .

© 2008 Susan Love, Image by CoSA; licensee (Cult)ure Magazine.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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