Police forces across Britain have 'lost track' of 322 convicted sex offenders who are required to keep the police informed of their whereabouts, according to the latest shock-horror report to be thrown at John Reid's beleaguered Home Office.
Yet Reid's department is reluctant to properly fund an award-winning scheme which not only keeps a vigilant eye on high-risk offenders, but also encourages them to build a different kind of life for themselves. Measured by the one criterion that really matters - does it discourage re-offending? - the scheme is a success: while statistics show that 60 per cent of sex offenders are normally likely to re-offend, under this scheme no one has so far re-offended.
The scheme is called Circles of Support and Accountability. It was pioneered in Canada and started here by the Quakers in Hampshire and the Thames Valley. Groups  |
