ABSTRACT
The emerging governmental policies of the late 1990s concerning sex offenders were policies of 'management and containment'. These policies had come to us across the Atlantic from the USA. This chapter explores the nature of these policies - and the agencies who implement them - which have come to form the context into which Circles of Support and Accountability have tried to locate themselves. These agencies come from the statutory sector, the voluntary sector and the private sector. The private sector and the voluntary sector are envisaged as playing an important part in this changing landscape of rehabilitation. Organisations like Circles UK and individual Circles projects will be seeking their own footing in this new world. Given all the uncertainty surrounding Transforming Rehabilitation, however, there is a possibility that some of the lowest risk sex offenders could be managed by the private sector and this presents another opportunity for partnerships for Circles of Support and Accountability.
