Breaking Down Circles South East: The First 10 Years (2002–2012) by Bates, Williams, Wilson, & Wilson (2014)
Welcome to Behind the Circle: The Research series – a blog series that breaks down academic research on Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) into plain language. Our aim is to make evidence behind CoSA’s impact accessible to everyone, increasing public awareness and moving closer to our primary goal: No More Victims.
What happens when someone at high risk of reoffending is released from prison into the community – with or without support? This study looked at exactly that, comparing 71 people who participated in Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) with 71 people who didn’t, even though they were considered suitable.
Let’s break down what they found.
The Study
Between 2002 and 2012, Circles South East in the U.K. supported 100 individuals with serious sexual offence histories. This study focused on 71 of those whose Circle ran long enough to have meaningful data. Most had committed contact sexual offences against children, and many were considered very high risk.
To see how well CoSA worked, researchers compared these 71 “core members” to another group of 71 individuals who were referred to CoSA but didn’t end up in a Circle – often because none were available nearby. Both groups were similar in terms of risk levels and time spent in the community.
The researchers tracked reconvictions (for sexual or violent offences, as well as breaches of court orders) over an average follow-up of about 4.5 years.
The Results
Here’s what they found:
- No core member in a Circle was convicted of a new contact sexual or violent offence.
- In contrast, 10 people in the comparison group were convicted of contact sexual or violent offences, including rape and sexual assault of minors.
- Only 2 core members were convicted of non-contact sexual offences, like making obscene phone calls or possessing inappropriate images. In both cases, the researchers observed what they called a “harm reduction effect” – meaning that while these were serious, they were less harmful than the person’s previous offences.
- A small number of both groups had other types of convictions (e.g. breaking court orders, non-sexual crimes).
Statistically, the group that received CoSA support reoffended far less than the comparison group, especially when it came to serious sexual or violent crimes.
What This Tells Us
The numbers speak for themselves: people supported through CoSA were much less likely to reoffend – especially when it came to harming others. This supports the idea that strong community support and accountability can play a powerful role in keeping communities safer.
Even more importantly, CoSA seemed to help reduce the severity of behaviour in the rare cases where someone did reoffend. Instead of repeating past harmful behaviour, their actions were less serious – suggesting CoSA may help interrupt dangerous patterns before they escalate.
In short, this research adds to the growing body of evidence: when communities engage with people who have committed serious crimes – and hold them accountable while offering real human connection – it works.
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