What are Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA)?

Utilizing restorative justice, CoSA prevents sexual violence by reducing re-offending.

No More Victims!

Circles offer both support and accountability to assist people who have committed sexual offences to lead responsible, constructive, and accountable lives in their communities.

The ultimate aim of CoSA is to ensure community safety.

Specifically, circles consist of volunteers and CoSA staff offering support and accountability to assist core members in reintegrating safely into their communities. Circles help to facilitate a positive transition by supporting core members to meet practical and emotional needs, avoid harmful behaviours, and to build a pro-social personal narrative. They also work closely with other reintegration partners including police and mental health professionals to raise the alarm if necessary. Without CoSA, individuals who have offended sexually do not have this sort of network to support and hold them accountable. 

CoSA has been adopted in the U.S., the UK and other jurisdictions over the past decades. Peer-reviewed studies have been done on CoSA over time in Canada and elsewhere, all showing that CoSA core members are 70 - 80% less likely to reoffend than those who did not participate in CoSA.

Restorative Justice:

CoSA was designed using restorative justice principles, with a focus on repairing the harm experienced by individuals and communities. Imprisoning people who commit a crime may have a temporary effect on public safety, but interventions are needed that support healing, reintegration, and accountability when those people return to their communities.

A successful reintegration is best achieved through inclusive engagement rather than alienation. CoSA balances support and accountability by giving core members a welcoming space where they are treated with care and dignity as they establish an understanding of their past actions that reduces the probability of reoffending and learn how to constructively contribute to the community.

CoSA works to achieve a world where there are no more victims and no one is disposable, and it does so with an appreciation of the natural tension between these two positions.