This book offers a collection of original contributions to current research available on Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) by engaging with current literature and unpublished research in the field. The book explores the role of narrative identity in desistance from sexual crime and how CoSA maps onto this, as well as a history of CoSA across the world. The text then moves into an empirical section, reporting on some unpublished findings, including an evaluation of a new prison-based CoSA in the UK. Lastly, the experiences of service users and the influence of media perceptions are explored, offering a space for the ¿unheard voices¿ as well as consideration of future directions for practitioners. The book is relevant not just to psychologists, criminologists, social workers and students, but to practitioners and the general public with an interest in learning about CoSA.

Introduces new research on Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA)

Chapter 1: A History of the Development of Circles of Support and Accountability; Chris Wilson.- Chapter 2: Circles of Support and Accountability, Assisted Desistance and Community Transition; Nicholas Blagden, Helen Elliott and Rebecca Lievesley.- Chapter 3: Do Circles of Support and Accountability Work? A Review of the Literature; Rosie Kitson-Boyce.- Chapter 4: The Prison-Based Model of Circles of Support and Accountability and its Application in Transitioning to the Community; Rosie Kitson-Boyce.- Chapter 5 Evaluating Community-based Circles of Support and Accountability; Michelle Dwerryhouse.- Chapter 6: The Role of the Media in Shaping Responses to Sexual Offending; Dave Potter.- Chapter 7: A Different Life: The Experiences of Core Members and Volunteers on the Safer Living Foundations Circles of Support and Accountability; Dave Potter.- Chapter 8: Future Directions: Alternative Circles of Support and Accountability Models and Minority Groups; Kerensa Hocken, Claire Good, Helen Elliott, Carrie Webb, Helen O'Connor, and Kim Cox