CIRCLES OF SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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• CIRCLES OF SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
• A model for the safer resettlement of Sexual
  Offenders in the Community
• Tim Richley, Criminal Justice Advisor, Sacro

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WHAT IS A CIRCLE?

• A Circle of Support and Accountability is an
  intervention which compliments the formal risk
  management agenda in order to assist sexual
  offenders re-integrate into their communities.
  Circles use trained volunteers, selected,
  coordinated and supervised by professionals, in
  order to provide support and monitoring for
  offenders who are committed to avoiding further
  offending. Circles have the potential to increase
  community safety by encouraging and assisting the
  ex-offender to live an offence free lifestyle as
  well as informing formal community protection
  agencies that there may be a danger of relapse.
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  Tim Richley 2007

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AIMS OF CIRCLES

• To substantially reduce the risk of future
  sexual abuse of children or adults by assisting
  and supporting offenders, who are committed to
  not re-offending.
• To assist those offenders in the task of
  integrating with the community and leading
  responsible, productive and accountable lives.

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Statutory Agencies - Prison Service - Community -
Courts -
Professional Oversight - Training - Support -
Volunteer Members
Core Member
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The Three Key Principles of Circles
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A CIRCLE OF SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY IS ABOUT.

• Working in partnership to enhance public safety
• Assisting an offender to reintegrate into the
  community by using the community as a resource
• Maintaining the commitment to non-offending
• Acting as a support and a safety mechanism

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A CIRCLE OF SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY IS NOT
ABOUT.

• Befriending offenders
• Working with offenders on their offending
  behaviour
• Replacing the work of statutory agencies

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Criteria for Core Members

• Must be a voluntarily decision to join Circle
• Must accept responsibility for Offending
  Behaviour and be motivated not to re-offend (some
  levels of minimisation are acceptable/
  inevitable)
• Must display a willingness to engage with
  volunteers specifically around offending
  behaviour
• Due for release into the community/Living in the
  community
• Preferably due to commence or complete accredited
  Sex Offender Treatment programme
• Prioritise services according to risk and need of
  offender

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Core Principles

• Community Initiative
• Public Protection
• Community Safety
• Social Inclusion

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Core Principles

• Volunteering key to the impact of Circles
• Core members are individuals and should be
  treated with humanity and respect
• Core members should be held accountable for their
  actions
• Through support and accountability core members
  have ability to change, grow and learn

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Golden Rules

• Partnership
• Communication
• No Secrets
• Flexibility
• Team Work

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Recruitment and Selection of Volunteers

• Be open and honest about what is required from
  volunteers
• Be open and honest when advertising
• Commence with a specific and careful recruitment
  strategy
• Work under Child Protection Heading for first
  year
• Gradually increase publicity and awareness of
  Circles in local area
• Follow selection criteria provided by Circles UK
• Dont take risks for the sake of setting up a
  Circle

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Training of Volunteers

• Volunteers interviewed regarding their interest
  in Circles
• Attend 16 hour training programme
• Selected or de-selected at the end of this
  process
• Receive ongoing Support Supervision from
  Circles coordinator
• Attend follow up advanced training

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Volunteer Safety and Wellbeing

• Risk Assessment
• Training needs
• Communication links
• Boundaries
• Policies and Procedures

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Supervision and Management of Volunteers and
Circles

• Personal Reviews
• Circles Reviews
• Peer Supervision
• Regular Communication and Information Sharing
• Bring Volunteers together

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The Process of a Circle

• Core member referred/ assessed/ identified
• Appropriate volunteers identified
• Information meetings held (without Core member)
• Core member introduced
• Weekly meetings
• Review meeting new arrangements put in place
• Ongoing support of all Circle members by
  coordinator

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Circles Models

• Introduction of Circle whilst core member in
  Prison
• Introduction of Circle on arrival to Approved
  Premises
• Introduction of Circle at commencement of SOGP
• Introduction of Circle at end of treatment
  programme, specifically Relapse Prevention Module
• Introduction of Circle at end of Statutory
  Supervision
• Agreement of inclusion of Circles in risk
  management strategy though local MAPPA

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What makes an Effective Circle?

• Selection of Core Member
• Appropriate balance and selection of volunteers
• Involvement of key professionals
• Trust and Honesty
• Maintaining firm and clear boundaries

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Research of Canadian Circles (since 1994)

• 60 core members matched to a control group
• Circles members had 70 lower rates of
  re-offending relating to sexual crimes
• Circles members had significantly lower than
  the predicted rate of re-offending
• Lower rate of re-offending relating to violent
  crimes
• Of the 3 who re-offended sexually, the offences
  were of less severity than original offences
  (e.g. obscene phone call as opposed to rape)

Circles of Support Accountability
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Evaluation of Thames Valley Circles Pilot April
2002 September 2005

• After 3 years none of the 20 Core members had
  been convicted of a new sexual offence
• 8 (40) were detected as having engaged in
  recidivist behaviour (i.e. behaviour that
  suggested they were about to commit an offence)
• 3 were recalled to prison
• 1 breached his SOPO ( and received a Community
  Rehabilitation Order)
• 1 was suspended from the Circle for three months
  and subsequently was reinstated
• The other 3 were managed under the auspices of
  the MAPPA and held to account within the Circle
• Of all this recidivist behaviour, 86 (7 out of
  8) incidents were detected by the activities of
  the Circle

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The need for an Approved Scottish Pilot

• Locating Circles within the wider framework of
  policy and provision
• Avoiding ad hoc development
• Ensuring proper standards and protocols
• Effective monitoring and measurement of outcomes
• The need to actively involve the Community in
  Risk Management
• The reasons for not having Circles in Scotland
  have been discredited by research and experience

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The Proposal to deliver Circles in Scotland

• A three year pilot, funded by the Scottish
  Government managed by Sacro
• The development of up to eight Circles in four
  pilot areas
• Oversight by inter-agency Steering Group
• Evaluation of process and audited outcomes

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Potential issues for the Scottish Prison Service

• Early identification and possible referral of
  potentially suitable offenders (via ICM process?)
• Joint working with community based agencies to
  prepare relevant protocols
• Liaison with Parole/ non Parole process and the
  Parole Board
• The promotion of Circles within prison system
  to staff and offenders
• Preparation of offenders who will become core
  members on release

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Potential issues for Local Authorities and the
Police

• How will Circles fit in/ liaise with current
  MAPPAs?
• Referral arrangements for potential Core Members
  currently in the community
• Operational Interface between Circles, Local
  Authorities the Police
• Possible tensions arising from the differences
  between control, support and accountability?

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Historical perspective of Circles in Scotland

• May 2001 Initial meeting about Circles in
  Scotland Steering Group formed
• May 2002 Conference on Circles at Tulliallan
• 2001 present day Steering Group continue to
  meet
• 2003 Initial proposal to deliver Circles in
  Scotland submitted to Scottish Executive
• 2006- Justice 2 sub committee recommend that
  Scottish Executive consider potential of
  Circles in Scotland
• 2006 Scottish Executive agrees that there is a
  role for the voluntary sector and volunteers in
  relation to the support of offenders within the
  community
• 2007 - Most recent proposal submitted to Scottish
  Government
• 2007 Scottish Government commission study which
  will inform feasibility of Circles in Scotland.
• 2008 Spring report due regarding outcome of
  study

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Representatives on Scottish Circles Steering
Group

• ACPOS
• ADSW
• COSLA
• SPS
• Children 1st
• NOTA
• Sacro
• Catholic Church
• Church of Scotland
• Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Scottish Episcopal Church

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For information or updates on Circles in Scotland
contact trichley_at_cja.sacro.org.uk

• For information on Circles UK go to
  www.circles-uk.org.uk