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Circles of Support


When a sexual offender is released from prison, he often has no family to go back to, he is not wanted in any community, and, since sexual crime is often addictive, he is a often a high risk to re-offend.

This is where Circles of Support come in. A Circle of Support is a group of trained volunteers who meet regularly with a specific sex offender. The offender commits himself to meeting regularly, talking openly and being accountable to the group. The group of volunteers help the offender reintegrate into the community and hold him accountable.

The first Circle of Support was developed in 1994 by Harry Nigh, pastor of The Welcome Inn, a Mennonite congregation in Hamilton, Ont. With the Help of Mennonite Central Committee, Nigh developed a proposal to start other Circles of Support. The Correctional Service of Canada accepted the proposal, and there are now Circles operating across Canada (and in the United States as well). Many of the Circles are funded by The Correctional Service of Canada and operated by agencies which are already involved in other prison or restorative justice ministries.

 – jc

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Last modified April 17, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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