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Page 6 April 11, 2016 • lAw Times www.lawtimesnews.com COMMENT ©2016 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or stored in a retrieval system without written per- mission. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the publisher. Information presented is compiled from sources believed to be accurate, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Law Times disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, com - pleteness or currency of the contents of this pub- lication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. Publications Mail Agreement Number 40762529 • ISSN 0847-5083 Law Times is published 40 times a year by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 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Instead of trying to get sex offenders out of jail earlier, as the John Howard Society does, they decided to approach sex offenders aer they had served their full sentence and help them re-integrate into society. e group named its association Cir- cles of Support and Accountability. e support part is what it gives the sex of- fenders who have served their sentence. e accountability part is what the or- ganization insists on getting from the former offenders to help them stay on the straight and narrow. No more abus- ing women and children. Over the years, the group, known by the acronym CoSA, spread across On- tario and then into more than a dozen of Canadian cities — 18 in all. It also spread around the world. CoSA groups hold weekly or month- ly meetings where volunteer members team up with former offenders they call core members. ese core members must be of- fenders who admit past sex crimes and have done their time. Volunteers help them change their lives from top to bottom. ere is no court or parole officer ordering sex offenders to join CoSA. It is entirely voluntary. Police officers and judges support association princi- ples. Susan Love is program director at the Ottawa CoSA chapter. Some of the core members have been declared "dangerous" by the court. "ese people are coming back to our societies, so we have to do something," she says. "Pedophilia is not easy to ex- plain. It's difficult for us to understand that some people are attracted to chil- dren." Oen, the problem goes back to their youth, Love explains. More than 50 per cent of the program's participants were abused as children. In society right now, there's very little to help to correct the abuse they suffered. In the past 15 years, the majority of the CoSA core members have been men who have offended against chil- dren. Some members may still be under court-ordered supervision or under pa- role authorities. Many core members have been clini- cally assessed as high-risk sexual criminals. Many have serious needs and yet little or no support from the com- munity. ey face serious social stigma.To be part of the program, core members must show they are truly ready to change their ways. ey sign an agreement that they are ready to face up to their shortcomings, their failures and past sex crimes, and talk about them at CoSA's open group meet- ings or privately with their own chosen volunteers. ey sign an agreement declaring to the group any time they feel they are slipping and could offend again. at's what the word accountability is all about. Does CoSA work? Independent surveys of Southern Ontario CoSA groups showed a 70-per- cent reduction in sex crime recidivism among its members and a 57-per-cent reduction in violent crime recidivism. Love says the group works hard train- ing volunteers and screening them very closely. ey also help former convicts con- nect again with family members. In the past, they received funding from the Mennonite Church, and later the Anglican Church, the National Crime Prevention Centre, the Cor- rectional Service of Canada, and the Community Foundation of Ottawa. Love says CoSA had a big problem last March. e Conservative government cut a lot of its federal funding. CoSA branches had to close in Hali- fax, Moncton, Kingston, and Montreal until the United Way came through with $50,000 over three years. Some- times, the organization gets letters that make the volunteers feel good, like this one. "It was kind of stressful, the last time I got out of prison," says the letter writer. "I had no support and I didn't know who to talk to. Now I have my volun- teers. For a period of time I wasn't doing the greatest, but I was able to talk to my volunteers and turn everything around. If I didn't have CoSA, I'd be back in jail because I don't have that many people to talk to. I have the halfway house, my psychologist and my parole officer, but I find that I don't have the same relation- ship with them. I don't feel comfortable talking to them. I haven't been able to build a solid bond with them." Letters such as these make CoSA volunteers feel that what they are doing is worth- while. LT uRichard Cleroux is a freelance reporter and columnist on Parliament Hill. His e-mail address is richardcleroux34@gmail.com. The Hill Richard Cleroux Pro bono props Pro Bono Ontario has announced the launch of a new, free corporate law clinic. is is great news for the profession, because of tangible outcomes for both the lawyers and participants in the new Corporate Law Summary Advice Clinic. As reported in Law Times, the clinic will operate two evenings a week at PBO's downtown Toronto office. Demand from lawyers to be part of the program is anticipated to be high. "e clinic closes a gap for corporate lawyers, who, until now, have not had the same variety of pro bono opportunities as litigators," said a Pro Bono Ontario release. "PBO conducts all outreach, intake and eligibility screening prior to giving clients an appointment for summary advice. PBO also provides volunteers with a case history, which contains a summary of the legal issue and copies of any documents that need to be reviewed, at least three days before they are scheduled to attend the clinic." Programs like this one can help encourage participation in pro bono work within the busy day-to-day of happenings of corporate law, and mainstream and underscore the value of engaging with the community in a new way. Firms and companies should support employees who take part. e program connects lawyers with an opportunity to share their most valuable skills with people who need it most, benefiting both parties. It can also increase retention of employees burnt out on endless paperwork and drudgery that can be part of life in a large organization by offering valu - able chances to connect with real-life people. Many younger lawyers have told me they want to contribute in socially meaningful ways. is is an outlet for that. e aim of this project is right on point. As many lawyers know, the Latin expression pro bono is short for pro bono publico, or "for the public good." anks to ideas like this one, the entire profession can have its reputation enhanced — with all lawyers reaping the result. LT

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