Circles of Support reach out to Durham sex offenders

4-12-2013 North Carolina:

Even a convicted sex offender needs a friend.

That was the message at a recent community roundtable hosted by the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham.

Held every fourth Thursday at Shepherd’s House United Methodist Church at 107 N. Driver St, the lunches bring residents and community agencies together to discuss important social issues.

Last month’s speaker was Drew Doll, coordinator of Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), an organization that provides intense support and accountability to sex offenders after their release from prison.

The program is a partnership between the Religious Coalition and the Durham County Criminal Justice Resource Center.

It purpose is simple – “no more victims.”

Ignoring the problem, says CoSA, puts the community at greater risk.

Founded in Canada in 1994, the concept spread to the United Kingdom in 2002 and found its way to Durham County last year.

Depending on the study being viewed, as many as one in three girls and one in five boys experience some form of unwanted sexual conduct in life.

The N.C. Department of Justice’s website shows 262 registered sex offenders in Durham County. Regardless of sentences, over 90 percent of sex offenders eventually come home and, Doll said, the police “can’t do it all.”

‘Lepers at the gate’

Speaking to about 50 people, Doll said treating offenders like “lepers at the gates” feeds into the isolation and secrecy that eventually leads them to repeat offenses.

“GPS, probation and parole doesn’t tell all the answers,” he said. “Monitoring doesn’t tell you what they’re thinking or the people they’re associating with, but a relationship with this person will help you understand.”

In CoSA, offenders and supporters write an agreement. It may be as simple as the offender agreeing not to hurt anyone or refraining from crime or drugs. In turn, supporters agree to help offenders achieve the goal of no more victims.

Offenders receive daily contact from CoSA members, whether face-to-face or over the phone. The idea is that having an inner circle of volunteers and friends along with an outer circle of professional help, such as substance abuse counselors or help finding housing, will help offenders succeed in their goal.

CoSA follows other circular community models for re-entry such as the local Genesis Home for those returning from homelessness. Doll cited research showing that those high-risk offenders in these support circles are 70 percent less likely to re-offend.

The organization generally asks volunteers, who get 25 hours of training, to give a year to build trust and transparency with offenders but stresses that volunteers must be willing to be in relationships with people that did “bad things.” Most offenders in the circles are men but some women also take part.

“We don’t pretend to be able to fix everything,” Doll said. “But CoSA works because we form relationships.”

“The power of relationships to change lives is incalculable, especially when they have people that expect them to succeed,” he said.

Doing our part

The luncheon was attended by representatives of several churches and agencies including the Durham Crisis Response Center, which serves victims of domestic and/or sexual violence, and Durham Congregations in Action.

“It takes commitment and training to work with pedophiles in the community,” said the Rev. Spencer Bradford, executive director of DCIA and a member of the CoSA Steering Committee. “We want to do our part to prevent further victimization with these circles of safety.”

Community member Jharmick Meeks has attended several community roundtables and said they always deal with issues important to the community such as gun laws and the problems of charging young people who commit crimes as adults.

“You have to reach out to improve this community,” he said. “I’m here to see change. We can sit here and talk all day, but the problem is out there.”

With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, it is a sentiment echoed by Doll.

He recently spoke with a group about CoSA and a man came up to him and said he initially did not want to attend because he had had a family member who was raped and murdered by an offender.

Doll said, “He told me after the talk he wondered how it would have been if that offender had had a circle.” ..Source.. by Carlton Koonce, Correspondent