Circles of support and accountability: Restorative outcomes for the survivor volunteer

Wilson, Chris and Hudson, Kirsty ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6543-5449 2024. Circles of support and accountability: Restorative outcomes for the survivor volunteer. Winder, Belinda, Hocken, Kerensa, Lievesley, Rebecca, Harper, Craig, Blagden, Nicholas, Swaby, Helen and Banyard, Phil, eds. Sexual Crime: Victims and Survivors, Springer, pp. 169-192. (10.1007/978-3-031-46626-7_7) Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This chapter draws on the experiences of survivor volunteers working with Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), a community-based initiative that supports the safe reintegration into the community of a Person Convicted of a Sexual Offence (PCSO) recently released from prison. Whilst CoSA have always been considered restorative with regard to the PCSO, (referred to as the Core Member) and their communities, this chapter examines the restorative nature for survivors working face-to-face with someone who has perpetrated a sexual crime. Our findings suggest that despite reticence from some professionals regarding survivors working in this area, survivor volunteers are as capable as anyone in coping with the challenges of working with a PCSO and in doing so can be afforded the opportunity to heal and repair. Our findings thus support the restorative potential of CoSA to address the harm and help to repair and heal those directly affected by sexual crimes. Yet we also recognise that this restorative benefit would hold even more weight if the presence of the survivor volunteer is acknowledged or disclosed in practice. There is however no expectation that survivors need to disclose, and our research, like others, suggests that most will not. This chapter therefore also considers whether disclosure of such an experience is important when undertaking this type of activity.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Publisher:	Springer
ISBN:	9783031466250
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 June 2024
Date of Acceptance:	1 September 2023
Last Modified:	27 Jun 2024 14:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/169744

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