Circles of Support and Accountability

Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA or Circles) have been operating
in Canada and England for several years. Following a recommendation by the Justice
2 Committee, the Scottish Government now believes it timely to consider the
feasibility of introducing COSA pilots to Scotland. The SCCJR was subsequently
commissioned to undertake this investigation on behalf of the Scottish Government.

This report for this project was published in 2008, and is available here.  The report broadly covers these areas:

The implementation experience of Circles in England and Canada; The distinctive features of Scottish criminal justice that might affect implementation of pilots; The implications of volunteers working with sex offenders; The evidence of effectiveness of Circles so far; and, Feasibility issues of establishing pilot Circles in Scotland.