6. Referrals, Screening, Accepting Core Members

A. Role of the Regional Co-ordinator

In this process, COSA may wish to call upon the assistance available to them through the "Regional Co-ordinator for Circles of Support and Accountability" in their area. The Regional Co-ordinator will often be able to assist by acting as liaison between the community, criminal justice officials, offenders and victims advocacy groups. The Regional Co-ordinator will be knowledgeable about COSA projects and their variations across the country. This person is also knowledgeable about criminal justice (including corrections) issues as they affect communities and the release of sex offenders to those communities at the end of their sentences. As such, the Regional Co-ordinator acts as a resource person for both Institutional and Community Correctional staff, the community at large and offenders nearing release. The Regional Co-ordinator can assist both communities and offenders in making preparations for the re-entry process at the end of sentence.

The role of the Regional Co-ordinator may be especially important when no COSA is available for the offender in his destination community. When this occurs, the Regional Co-ordinator may be able to assist by making contact with the offender and the offender's destination community with a view towards establishing a COSA there for the prospective Core member.

COSA may also look to the Regional Co-ordinator for guidance and assistance in conducting workshops and community orientation events, preparing a volunteer recruitment strategy, developing volunteer screening protocols, and helping with the initial phases of volunteer Orientation and Training. Ongoing support is also available for the life of the COSA.

When a Regional Co-ordinator is not available, please contact the Regional Chaplain.

B. Candidates

Referrals of candidates usually come to the attention of the COSA through institutional staff who are aware of the COSA projects and have access to computer programs that can identify who the potential candidates might be. Other referral sources include institutional and community chaplains, institutional parole officers, other inmates, prison visitation groups (e.g. M2/W2), other core members, and COSA volunteers.

Most institutions have an individuals(s) who is/are responsible for the management of the detained offenders' files. They have various means available to them to identify potential candidates. Establishing a working relationship with that person(s) to identify potential COSA members is recommended. Often the regional chaplain can be helpful in identifying that person.

The source of the referral should be asked to provide as much information as possible about the potential core member so that the COSA can make an informed choice about their involvement with the Core member.

If a referral is made without the obvious involvement of institutional staff (e.g. the inmate makes direct contact, or is referred by non-institutional persons), it is essential that the institutional staff be brought into the referral process. Of particular import is the Institutional Parole Officer (IPO). This person will already be engaged in the release planning of the potential Core member. This planning often involves notifications to police and social services agencies, victims and other authorities. The IPO will probably have information and will be able to assist in gathering more information about potential public notifications, court orders, community resources, and other practical matters related to release. He or she is also the COSA connection in terms of institutional access, contact with the potential core member prior to release, and access to his or her file information^Footnote9.

C. Short Notice Referrals from Police and Other Sources

Referrals from police sources and other community sources (e.g. faith groups, victims and survivors groups) will depend on the COSA's degree of credibility and the trust it has earned in the community. Building sound, respectful and inclusive relationships in the early planning stages is fundamental to this referral process and to the overall work of a COSA. Relying on the guidance of a Regional Co-ordinator can be very helpful as one member contributing to this relationship.

Referrals are sometimes characterized with little advance notice of a core member's release. With experience, a COSA will often find that it can respond to such a call; however, mobilizing a COSA on short notice places intense demands on everyone, including the core member.

A COSA should not accept a candidate unless it can accurately assess:

• the needs of the prospective core member (see section J Second Meeting and Appendix B below),
• its ability to assist the core member in meeting those needs,
• that the core member has a clear understanding of what a COSA offers and
• the basis of a covenant Relationship (see section P below).

The COSA must also be capable of assessing the risk of harm to its volunteers and to the community. This is so that a determination can be made regarding both the COSA's ability to work with that risk and the prospective core member's willingness to take concrete steps to manage that risk when he is in the community.

The prospective core member should be prepared to help draft a covenant, and to sign it as an indication of his intention to abide by it while in the community. Every possible step must be taken to have him sign a covenant before he leaves prison. Experience has been poor with core members who are asked to sign a covenant after arriving in the community (other than revisions to covenants signed just prior to release).

Clearly it is critical to a short-notice referral that there be a significant level of major co-operation from police and correctional officials, as well as a high degree of motivation to be co-operative and to succeed on the part of the core member.

In the absence of these, it is unlikely that a short-notice referral to a COSA will be a successful experience for anyone involved.

D. Core members Who are not Community Members

It is possible that a COSA may become aware of an offender who expresses an interest in becoming a core member, but is not being released to a community that has an established COSA. These situations should be immediately referred to the Regional Co-ordinator (see C above) who may attempt to engage the community and establish a COSA for the prospective core member.

It is important not to invite core members to a community with a COSA for the sole purpose of providing them with a COSA. While every effort should be made to ensure that prospective core members receive the needed support, COSA projects should be careful to ensure that they do not become a destination for offenders from outside their community. Police and other community agencies, as well as residents of the community are likely to withdraw support for a COSA if it is perceived to be "importing" offenders to a particular community. Readers are referred to the COSA video, "Forging A Circle."

E. Selection Guidelines: Screening Core Member Referrals

Circles of Support and Accountability are intended to assist people who are released at the end of their sentence and who have been convicted of sexual offences (i.e. a sex offence is their "Index Offence"). These "WED Sex Offenders" are considered to be at high risk for re-offending sexually (and may also be high profile) and have high needs and little or no pro-social support in the community.

The guidelines below will help identify core members who would most benefit by a COSA. They apply to persons convicted of sexual offences who:

• are serving sentences in Federal Institutions^Footnote10;
• will reach the end of their sentence (i.e. WED) without benefiting from any form of supervised community release.^Footnote11; (These individuals have been denied parole, and have been detained past their Statutory Release dates because the National Parole Board (or provincial releasing authority in the case of provincially-sentenced individuals) has deemed their risk for re-offence to be so great that they cannot be safely supervised in the community. They may be identified as potential candidates up to one year prior to the end of their sentence.)
• have high needs according to an assessment performed by COSA representatives according to an established "Needs Profile";
• understand and are willing to agree to a covenant negotiated with the COSA;
• desire and are ready to voluntarily enter into a supportive relationship with a COSA. (This presumes that a potential core member has some understanding about the nature of his or her crimes and crime cycle, is willing to accept responsibility for them, and is actively seeking help to develop a new lifestyle (e.g. is open to relapse prevention counseling);
• have little or no pro-social support in the community as determined by the Needs Profile.

F. Selecting a Core member

The above screening guidelines should be applied to each referral. Candidates who meet the criteria should be considered for a COSA. If a candidate does not meet the guidelines outlined above further discussion is needed^Footnote12. The final decision to work with an offender is made either by a "selection team" or by the whole COSA, as discussed above.

G. Meeting the Core Member 90 Days Prior to Release

When a potential core member has been referred, screened and selected, the selection team (or appointed volunteer of the COSA) should prepare to meet the offender in the institution at least 90 days prior to release^Footnote13. At this point, the COSA or the core member may not have made a final decision about their future relationship. Since each institution has different staff in different roles, it will be helpful to work through the Regional Co-ordinator to facilitate this process. Contacts within an institution may be the Institutional Chaplain or Institutional Parole Officer, a psychologist or a program staff person.

Experience indicates that considerable education of institutional staff is necessary for this to occur. Many COSAs have been formed within weeks or days (and even hours) of a core member's release. These are not ideal situations and can sometimes lead to problems in the COSA for both volunteers and core members. Ideally, the selection team should schedule a "case review" meeting with the potential core member's Institutional Parole Officer at the time of referral. The purpose of this review is to:

• verify the release date of the offender around the WED;
• confirm any release conditions (e.g. possible applications by provincial authorities under S. 810 CCC);
• discuss professional risk assessments developed by correctional staff^Footnote14;
• arrange to read the offender's file with him if a decision is made to accept the potential core member.

The appointed selection team, or one or two COSA volunteers, should attend the first one or two meetings with the potential core member. This will help reduce anxiety. These volunteers should already be aware, at least superficially, of the potential core member's situation through information obtained from the referral source (please see sections B and C above).

The "team" at this point should be mindful that if the COSA and the core member accept one another, they will soon be drafting a covenant document together, which will act as a guide for the future relationship between the COSA volunteers and the Core member.

H. First Meeting - Prior to Release (or "Intake" Interview)

The purpose of this meeting is:

• to meet Institutional staff and IPO involved in the release (if this has not already happened).
• to meet and introduce the idea of a COSA to the potential core member.
• To inform the potential core member about the type of support he can expect from a COSA.
• to inform the core member about the need to be accountable to a COSA, and what this means.
• to learn more about the potential core member's situation and intentions on release.
• to obtain "release of information" from the potential core member allowing the selection team to make arrangements for access to and to read the potential core member's file^Footnote15.
• to obtain the potential core member's informed consent and formal request to become voluntarily involved in a COSA (see previous footnote). Once this has been obtained, the potential core member should be informed that the COSA will make a decision as soon as possible to accept or not to accept him or her as an official core member.
• in preparation for acceptance, the potential core member should review, to the extent possible, the material relating to the "Needs Assessment Profile." (See Appendix B). The core member should be prepared to discuss his needs at the next meeting if he is accepted as a core member.

I. Decision to Accept a Core member

Following the initial meeting and keeping in mind that in some cases more than one "initial meeting" may be required, both the COSA and the potential core member should be able to decide if they wish to work together.

J. Second meeting - Assessing Needs

A second and all further meetings with the core member assume that both the COSA and the core member have accepted one another with the condition that they begin working toward developing a Needs Profile and towards the establishment of a covenant^Footnote16. Further meetings are scheduled to accomplish the following:

• complete Needs Profile.
• To learn about the core member's crime cycle and relapse prevention plans.
• Develop a release plan based on this needs profile.
• Work towards the building of a covenant.

K. Developing a Needs & Resources Profile

A Core member's needs may be divided into four categories as follows:

• Practical Needs
• Professional Needs
• Privacy Needs
• Social Needs and Connection to Family
• Spirituality and Cultural Needs
• (please also refer to Appendix B^Footnote17)

i. Practical Needs

People leaving prison after incarceration experience varying levels of needs, many of which relate directly to the length of time they were incarcerated. Generally, longer incarceration leads to greater dependence and difficulty with even the simplest of tasks to be performed in the community. For example, after serving fifteen years in prison one core member was unfamiliar with using the public transit system. Upon receiving a donated bus pass, he became extremely anxious at the prospect of boarding the bus. As a result, he remained housebound and isolated himself until a volunteer realized the difficulty and showed him how to use the transit system. He was embarrassed to talk about his fear.

Some core members do not have medical cards, do not know how to use automated banking machines, how to get a debit card or how to do basic banking. Other challenges include using a laundromat (or a laundry room), finding housing, locating and using food banks and other daily routine tasks many people take for granted. Many newly released individuals often find meeting these practical needs overwhelming.

It is important to remember that some newly released individuals need more help than others. This is why it is important to begin have discussions before release. It is also important to realize that some prospective core members will underestimate their needs upon release, and some will feel to embarrassed to tell you what some of their needs are. Sensitivity to their feelings is essential.

ii. Professional Needs

Some core members need help getting counselling, with applying for and managing social assistance, obtaining medical and dental care, legal services, automobile insurance and other professional service. These are complex areas of need that also require attention and should also be discussed prior to release. A plan and a timetable should be established to address these needs and it is important to understand that some prospective core members will want to try accomplishing everything they need to do within the first few days of their release. The impracticality of this, and the difficulty of dealing with multiple levels of bureaucracy can be deeply frustrating for many people newly released from prison. It can become so frustrating, in fact, that some newly released individuals can find themselves spinning back into old ways of coping (e.g. alcohol and/or drug use and committing new crimes including sexual acting out).

Knowing in advance what needs to be accomplished, who is going to help the prospective core member accomplish them, and when things need to be done is a critical part of preparing for release.

In terms, of professional care, the COSA and the prospective core member need to know what the danger signals are when coping mechanisms are wearing thin, and above all, where to get professional help when it is needed.

iii. Social Needs and Connection to Family

Individuals with high needs may not have supportive networks of friends and family and often look to COSA to meet these needs. COSA should guard against the prospective core member developing an inappropriate dependency on the COSA. While the COSA may become the "family" of a core member, the goal is to help core members gradually broaden their network of relationships and where appropriate, reconnect with family, and to develop a positive, pro-social support network outside of the COSA.

iv. Spiritual and Cultural Needs

Individuals from faith groups are challenged to live out their own spirituality, guided by their religious beliefs, without imposing their beliefs on others. This is important with core members who are at a different place spiritually than a volunteer or the group as a whole. Some core members express distrust of people with certain faith backgrounds. In these cases, entering into a friendship relationship presents unique challenges. Proselytising or seeking converts is unethical when working with those released from prison.

Nevertheless, a core member's spiritual needs may be great and should be supported. Spiritual needs, like all other needs, should be expressed and the group should be prepared to offer support and direction. Often these needs are expressed as a desire to reconnect with one's cultural heritage (Aboriginal, African-American, Caribbean, Hindu, Sikh, Asian, and others) in which culture and spirituality are closely related.

The COSA should be prepared to help and encourage the prospective core member to connect or reconnect with his spiritual/cultural heritage when requested to do so.

v. Privacy Needs

During the trial and sentencing process, and during their period of incarceration, most Core members experience an exposure of the most intimate details of their lives. From in-depth examinations of their innermost thoughts and motivations, to the most private and anguished details of their childhood and youth, from being stripped naked and probed and visually examined by strangers in the most private cavities of their bodies, to being watched as they sleep; it can easily be understood why many Core members have deep and urgent needs for privacy upon release. Any normal human being would.

As a result, some core members think of themselves as victims of the criminal justice system.

People who have difficulty with their sexuality often have difficulty with boundary issues in their public and private lives. These difficulties are experienced within themselves as well as in their relationships with others.

At the same time, privacy needs can be confused with the need to work toward building trust and to develop open, honest and healthy relationships. The need for privacy must be balanced against the desire to be secretive and the difference between the two should be well understood.

The challenge facing many core members and those who would walk with them is to balance the public's right to know against the former offender's right to privacy. This challenge will be enacted within the context of community fear expressed through official sanction such as the imposition of court orders, some of which are enforced through specially formed police surveillance teams (e.g. ISPOT Teams in British Columbia). In addition to court orders, a core member may also be confronted with public notification upon re-entry into a community. Such notification can include the use of public websites containing a former offender's photograph and offence history (e.g. in Alberta).

It is important to find and keep a balance in this area. Volunteers will be challenged to find the balance between the community's needs and those of the ex-offenders. Clearly there must be an appreciation for the core member's privacy. However, the offender must recognize that the community has needs as well.

L. Third Meeting

For this meeting, the core member should be asked to think about the following^Footnote18:

• what he will need when he arrives in the community, and how he expects those needs to be met?
• What his release plans are? (Where will he live? How will he spend his spare time? How much money will he have? What kind of work can he do?)
• How will the COSA provide help with these things? What he wants the COSA to do for him?
• What things has he done inside prison (programs, treatment, education) that will aid him in doing those things?

As well, COSA members should continue to answer questions about COSA, and begin talking about the dynamics of COSA functioning, especially the idea of a "covenant."

M. Fourth and Subsequent Meetings

• Continue to answer questions about COSAs.
• Further discuss the Core member's personal release plans.
• Discuss current activities within the Institution.
• Talk about potential court orders under S.810 CCC.
• Continue to discuss the contents of the file review.
• Ask the offender to begin talking about his or her offences, offence cycles, triggers, and relapse prevention plans (if any).
• Begin to draft the basic elements of the Covenant.

N. Reading the Core Member's File

A potential core member should not be accepted until a file review is completed. The file cannot be reviewed unless the potential core member agrees in writing to allow it to be read.

There will always be enough information on any core member's file to suggest the reasons why a COSA should not work with him.

It will be easy to screen out a potential core member because of file information. Readers must remain focused on the reason why they are thinking of working with a Core member. It is almost always because no one else will. Circles of Support and Accountability by definition deal with high risk and high needs individuals.

Whenever possible, the file should be read in the core member's presence. It should not be read without its contents being discussed with the prospective core member before his release. Readers should be ready to ask him about any inconsistencies between what he has told them and the information on file. This is especially important around the current offence history, as well as prior offences. These inconsistencies should be resolved before the prospective core member is released.

Some volunteers may not want to know what is on a core member's file. While not all COSA volunteers may want or even need to read a file, all COSA volunteers must be made aware of the information in the file. The offence history, the offence cycle, and the triggers to the cycle are information that all volunteers should be aware of. This information should be relayed to the COSA through the selection team or designated file readers. Eventually, as trust builds and the prospective core member begins to take the COSA into his confidence, he will be asked to brief the entire COSA on these matters.

The purpose of the file review is to determine what resources may be required to support the offender in the community. Where there is a volunteer pool, a file review can help determine which volunteers might be best suited for a particular core member.

The file review also assists the COSA in gaining an understanding of offence cycles, relapse prevention plans, and skills the core member may have gained through programs while incarcerated.

The file should be read with particular attention being paid to the following:^Footnote19

• Offence history and police reports,
• Judges' comments, especially reasons for sentencing,
• Psychological and/or psychiatric reports,
• Core member's potential for a healthy relationship,
• Institutional history (especially relating to substance use/abuse),
• Potential pro-social supports in the community,
• Relapse plans the core member may have learned during incarceration,
• Insight into reasons for possible court orders under s. 810 CCC.

The core member's own insights, combined with meeting the institutional staff and reading the case file, should help the COSA develop a deeper understanding of the core member's needs.

During the meetings in the institution, the core member should thoroughly discuss his triggers, offence cycle and relapse plans. Meetings with institutional psychologists, treatment providers, chaplains and other staff are invaluable. Again, whenever possible, these meetings should include the core member.

At least two months prior to release (and not later than one month prior), it is advisable that at least one full COSA meeting should be held in the institution with the core member^Footnote20. This serves the purpose of introducing COSA volunteers and the core member to one another and of continuing the process of building trust.

As the time for release draws closer, the COSA assists in preparing the core member to face court procedures designed to secure conditions under s. 810 CCC. Release strategies in regard to court appearances, media attention, community reactions and policing are worked out at this point.

Meeting schedules are set for the first few weeks of release. These meetings, along with the file review and the Needs Profile, and information about possible applications under s. 810 CCC, will assist the COSA and the core member develop the Covenant.

O. Establishing the Covenant

The Covenant is the foundational document of the COSA. If a covenant does not exist, a COSA should not be provided. It must be in place prior to the Core member's release and the core member must work with the COSA to draft the Covenant. It should not be drafted without the core members' active participation and agreement.

Covenants are unique agreements between COSA volunteers and the core member. They are not legal documents. They have no legal value, and should not be complex, legalistic treaties. The following points are guidelines for shaping covenants.

i. Purpose of a Covenant

The Covenant is a joint agreement entered into by each COSA volunteer and the core member. It establishes agreed norms of behavior and associations for the core member and it clarifies the expectations of the COSA volunteers. The COSA volunteers agree to assist the core member who in return agrees to live by some basic principles. It is possible that the court might use this document when specifying conditions for a court order obtained pursuant to s. 810 CCC.

The Covenant is the basic instrument that guides the COSA's functions of support and responsibility taking and accountability. It is the basic tool for building trust with the COSA and for building the trust between the core member, the COSA and the community.

The Covenant is open to review at any time and may be revised with agreement of the COSA. This, however, should not happen frequently.

If a core member is reluctant to enter into a covenant, it should be explained that "structure" is part of everyone's life and relationships, and that the covenant is a "living document" that can be changed as needed.

Some COSA have found it helpful to establish their Covenant for the first few months and then review it. At that point the Covenant may need to be re-written or amended from the initial Covenant agreement.

ii. Key Components of a Covenant

The following are suggested areas of basic responsibility undertaken by all parties. Please refer to Appendix A for some sample covenants. A COSA's basic agreement is to provide a community of care and accountability. The key components found in most covenants an on which all participants in a COSA agree are to:

• assist with practical living needs;
• engage in open and honest communications with each other;
• designate key volunteers to receive confidential information from therapists and other professionals, and to share this information with the COSA;
• consult with one another before engaging in dialogue with individuals in the community outside of the COSA such as media and police;
• work diligently towards consensus among members of the COSA, especially in matters pertaining to the core member;
• define the consequences for both COSA volunteers and the core member of failure to meet the agreements contained in the Covenant

The core member's basic agreement is:

• to live by the terms of the Covenant agreement;
• to live offence-free; and
• to notify the COSA immediately if he is having difficulty doing so.

The following are key components of a core member's agreement contained in a covenant. The core member agrees to live offence-free by:

• respecting the confidentiality about personal information of all COSA volunteers;
• being open and honest with COSA volunteers;
• sharing and reviewing his or her offence cycle and relapse prevention plan with the COSA on a regular basis;
• identifying any substance abuse history, and following a plan to address these issues;
• identifying medical and counseling needs and making a commitment to deal with them;
• adhering to release plans, including all conditions specified in court orders;
• remaining co-operative with policing and other judicial authorities in the community;
• abiding by the consensus of the COSA; and
• consulting with the COSA before engaging in dialogue with the community outside the COSA (especially media sources).