ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the use of restorative justice as a means of reducing the risk posed by high-risk sex offenders. 1 A number of restorative schemes have been developed in recent years largely as a rejoinder to the failings of traditional popular and state-led responses to managing sex offenders in the community. Official measures such as sex offender notification and popular responses by the media and the public in the form of ‘Name and Shame’ campaigns have resulted in the marginalisation of sex offenders and a possible increased risk of reoffending. Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA), which originated in Canada but are beginning to be developed in other jurisdictions including England and Wales, have been used successfully with high-risk sex offenders who are re-entering the community on release from prison. Based broadly on restorative principles, these programmes entail the development of informal networks of support and treatment involving the offender, the wider community, and state or voluntary agencies.
