Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) to prevent sexual offender recidivism

A comparison of their development in France and Canada

Authors

  • Ingrid Bertsch Université de Tours & CHRU de Tours, France
  • Florent Cochez CH Charles Perrens, Bordeaux, France
  • Heather M Moulden McMaster University & St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Canada
  • Sebastien S Prat McMaster University & St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Canada http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0200-7850
  • Hélène Lambert Université de Tours, France
  • Géraldine Lassagne Université de Tours, France
  • Céline Lamballais CHRU de Tours, France
  • Lucie Defache Service pénitentiaire d'insertion et de probation du Loiret, France
  • Maud Pelletier Service pénitentiaire d'insertion et de probation du Loiret, France
  • Robert Courtois Université de Tours & CHRU de Tours, France http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3557-5264

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15173/ijrr.v2i2.3901

Keywords:

Circle of support and accountability, sexual offenders, relapse, desistance, prevention, cercles de soutien et de responsabilité, agresseurs sexuels, récidive, désistance, prévention

Abstract

There is growing interest worldwide in Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), which were created 24 years ago in Hamilton (Canada) in response to public concern about the reintegration of sex offenders into society after their release from incarceration. These circles support the ex-offender in the social rehabilitation process. They already exist in a number of countries, but their introduction in France is slow. The aim of this article is to explain the barriers to setting up CoSAs in France, taking into account the difficulties encountered in previous and current French experiences, and in relation to cultural differences between France and Canada.

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Cover of Volume 2 Issue 2 - December 2019

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Published

2019-12-18

How to Cite

Bertsch, I., Cochez, F., Moulden, H. M., Prat, S. S., Lambert, H., Lassagne, G., Lamballais, C., Defache, L., Pelletier, M., & Courtois, R. (2019). Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) to prevent sexual offender recidivism: A comparison of their development in France and Canada. International Journal of Risk and Recovery, 2(2), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijrr.v2i2.3901

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2019)

Section

Original Article

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