Yesterday we finished up a three day conference in support
of Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA). Over the three days we met
with community members who are on the one hand concerned that high-risk sex
offenders are re-entering their community and, on the other, share a desire to mitigate the risk by
doing something about it. The conversation throughout the three days was
powerful, insightful and sometimes deeply personal. It was authentic and
vulnerable.
CoSA intrigues many because it seems to work. In fact,
through five highly respected research studies, CoSA has been proven to reduce
sexual recidivism by between 70% to 83%. Two of these studies took place in
Canada, two in the USA and one in the UK.
At our all-day training session on Saturday, community members
who self-identify as atheist, agnostic, liberal Christian, conservative
Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist all came together to deal with the reality that convicted sex offenders are released into our cities after their sentences are completed. Whether we want to admit it or not, when their sentence is over,
sex-offenders get out of prison and are in our communities. So, now what?
There are, of course, many public policy options to this question although the law is unlikely to change, for better or for worse, on this matter. So, now what?
Well, armed with good research, good training and good
networks in community, committed volunteers are willing to embrace CoSA as a
proven means of reducing victimization in community. It is important work and it works.
We are motivated by our core values of, "No more victims. No one is disposable."
To learn more about CoSA please visit:
www.cosacanada.com
For more on the research please visit:
http://www.robinjwilson.com/
http://andrewmcwhinnieconsulting.com/
