Circles Of Support And Accountability (COSA)

Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA)
The development of COSA can be traced back to the work carried out by the Canadian Mennonite Church in 1994 in response to sex offenders being released from prison into their communities. The COSA is centered on the pillars of safety and support and often offers public protection and reintegration. The aim of COSAs is to “reduce the risk of re-offense by sex offenders; to ease the offender’s transition into the community; and to address the fears of victims in a practical way”. The circles are groups of volunteers, often from the faith communities, that form an "agreement" with a released high-risk sex offender to accept the circle's help and advice, to pursue a predetermined course of treatment
In sentencing circles, the type of sentence an offender should receive is determined in a meeting of the victim, offender, family, and community members with a judge, lawyers, police, and others and is recommended to the judge. The victim and the community have the opportunity to express themselves to the offender, and may also take part in developing and implementing a plan relating to the offender's
It is rooted in Maori culture in New Zealand where, like in other parts of the world, the indigenous population is over represented in the court and prison system. It was introduced to the juvenile justice system in New Zealand as an alternative to youth court and later expanded to Australia, North America and other countries. In Canada, this model has been adapted to include not only the notion of family involvement but also the participation of both the offender's and the victim's supporters who may or may not be family. The focus of conferencing circles is to repair the harm done by an offence and to minimize the likelihood of future harm. This is accomplished through dialogue geared to increasing understanding between participants and is conducted in a structured circle setting guided by a trained facilitator or