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Sarah
explains why she joined a friendship circle to rehabilitate
sex offenders |
Paedophiles and other sex offenders are the subject of
regular public outrage and demands for longer jail terms, but could
"befriending" them be the best way to stop them committing more crimes?
"I said to myself my worst nightmare is someone who offended
against very young girls because my nieces are those ages. Sure enough,
that's exactly what I got."
Sarah from London is a volunteer working with
a category of former prisoners few of us would feel comfortable meeting
at all, let alone on a regular basis.
Along with four others she regularly meets a
man convicted of serious sex offences against children who has since
been released back into the community.
She's part of a "circle" which befriends but
also monitors offenders. The idea came from Canada where a survey by the
country's prison service found it reduced re-offending by 70%.
The first circles in the UK were formed in
2002 and there are currently 63 running across England and Wales. It is
based on the premise that while some offenders have friends and family
to return to when they come out of prison, others have not and the more
isolated they are, the more likely they are to re-offend.
Sarah says she was partly inspired to
volunteer by the press coverage surrounding the disappearance of
Madeleine McCann.
"There was a lot of press talking about
paedophiles, lots of big splash front pages saying 'evil'. I started to
think there's got to be a way to stop this from happening in the
beginning."
Sarah joined her circle through child
protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, one of several
organisations which run circles in the UK. Volunteers receive 20 hours
of instruction and are supported by a liaison officer.
They meet offenders discreetly in local cafes
where they talk about everything from what could lead to re-offending to
finding work and fitting back into society.
Emotionally charged
Before the first meeting, they are told a lot
of detail about the crimes and background of the offender. The meetings
with the group - 4-6 volunteers plus the offender - are for about an
hour, once a week, for the first few months, with the whole programme
lasting one or two years. Each member of the group typically speaks to
the offender on the phone at least once a week.
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Feeling against sex abusers often runs high, with demands
for longer sentences |
Despite her initial concerns, Sarah has been
able to work with two offenders, both of whom have been imprisoned for
offences against girls under 14. Sarah found the first encounter was
highly emotionally charged.
"There's a lot of trepidation. You never know
how you're going to react. Your first instinct is to feel disgust and
revulsion over what they've done."
Sarah believes by questioning offenders about
their behaviour and helping them settle back into everyday life she has
helped to keep them from re-offending. In the case of the offender she
is currently working with, Sarah believes her group has helped him turn
round a long history of offending behaviour.
"I don't consider myself a bleeding-heart
liberal. I'm someone who looks at the big picture and tries to find a
solution. As far as the police tell us he hasn't offended in five years.
He doesn't want to re-offend again, he doesn't want to create any more
victims."
Grooming spotted
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation says of the 35
offenders who have taken part in their circles project so far, only
three have been found to have re-offended.
In one of these cases, volunteers in East
Anglia say they became suspicious of the offender's behaviour. Circle
volunteer Ian says from the start they felt there was something wrong.
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Offenders may be without friends and family which hinders
rehabilitation |
"He was telling us things which just didn't
sound right. We reported it. The police reckoned he was grooming a young
boy."
The offender was subsequently sent back to
prison.
Donald Findlater, director of research and
development at The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, says great care is taken
in choosing which offenders are selected. A determination to change
their behaviour pattern is key.
"Not all sex offenders are suitable for a
circle. Professional staff need to assess that the individual is
committed to leading a good life and keen to get support in doing this."
He feels in the vast majority of cases the
circles have been effective.
"I have no doubt that circles are making a
tangible difference to the lives that sex offenders lead and to the
safety of the public."
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There are some who believe sex offenders can never be
rehabilitated |
Circles are part of a wider programme to
rehabilitate sex offenders. The National Offender Management Service
offers treatment to around 1,200 sex offenders a year in prison and the
same number who have been released back into the community.
Many experts with experience in
rehabilitating sex offenders agree circles have potential to stop
re-offending, but they are only part of the overall effort to stop
further crimes being committed.
"Circles have a lot to offer, particularly in
cases of very socially isolated sexual offenders or offenders," says
David Middleton, professor of community and criminal justice at De
Montfort University, and former head of the government's sex offender
strategy and programmes.
"However they are not a substitute for
experienced and well trained professionals."
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Sex offenders are often monitored closely after release |
The circles projects are part funded by
government money channelled through local police, probation and offender
management budgets. This frustrates some victims group who feel more
money should be directed at those who have been abused.
Many are also highly sceptical that
sex offenders can
be rehabilitated. Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National
Association of People Abused in Childhood, feels while circles may have
some value, there are more reliable ways of monitoring offenders.
"Abusers cannot be trusted at their word. We
tend to favour the idea that these kind of offenders need to be
electronically tagged for a very long time."
Contact the programme by e-mail:
donal@bbc.co.uk
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