SMART FY 15 Promoting Evidence Integration in Sex Offender Management Applying Circles of Support and Accountability in Indian Country Project Sites | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The SMART FY 15 Promoting Evidence Integration in Sex Offender Management opportunity focused on expanding Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) into Indian Country by funding a small number of tribal project sites to develop, adapt, and document a COSA-style reentry and risk-management approach for individuals convicted of sexual offenses. COSA began in Canada in the 1990s as a community-based, restorative justice model built on the idea that public safety improves when the community is actively involved in reintegration, not just the justice system. The SMART Office (within the U.S. Department of Justice) had already supported early COSA sites starting in FY 2012 and noted that projects were underway across multiple states. This FY 2015 effort aimed to extend that work by supporting tribal jurisdictions in launching culturally grounded COSA initiatives and producing practical evidence and descriptive information to help the field understand how COSA functions in tribal settings.

At the center of the COSA model is a structured “Circle” that pairs a person reentering the community (the “Core Member”) with four to six trained community volunteers who provide consistent support while also holding the person accountable for safe, prosocial behavior. The model is designed to address a specific service gap: individuals assessed as high risk who may be released at the end of a sentence with little or no formal aftercare, and sometimes without probation or parole supervision. COSA typically targets men with extensive offending histories, prior treatment failures, antisocial attitudes, and elevated risk for sexual and other reoffending. In practice, volunteers maintain frequent contact (often daily check-ins), and the Circle meets weekly. The program’s core mechanism is the combination of genuine relationship and clear accountability, with volunteers helping the Core Member navigate housing, employment, treatment participation, and everyday decision-making, while also noticing risk signals and working with professionals as needed.

A major reason this funding opportunity emphasized Indian Country is that COSA is rooted in restorative justice concepts that align closely with many Indigenous approaches to community wellness and justice. The announcement highlights how First Nations and American Indian/Alaska Native communities have influenced restorative justice thinking in North America, including the use of “circles” to bring together those affected by harm, examine contributing factors, and build a shared plan for healing and future safety. As an example, the notice points to the Community Holistic Circle Healing (CHCH) initiative from Hollow Water First Nation in Manitoba, describing it as a community-centered model that combines compassion, vigilance, shared responsibility, and traditional teachings. It also cites a long-term evaluation of CHCH reporting very low sexual reoffense among participants, using that example to illustrate why circle-based, holistic accountability may fit well within tribal communities.

Funded tribal projects were expected to build a COSA-type initiative that combined community volunteers (the inner Circle) with trained professionals (often described as an “Outer Circle”) to support safe reintegration and coordinate services. Beyond implementation, the grant placed a strong emphasis on building knowledge: sites needed to generate clear descriptive information about their community context, their justice process, the population of sex offenders in the jurisdiction, and how the program was adapted to local traditions and realities. Applicants also had to agree to work with a SMART Office-designated training and technical assistance provider to support proper adaptation of the COSA model, maintain implementation fidelity, and ensure volunteers were appropriately trained. Participation in an evaluation at a later date was identified as an expectation as well, contingent on future funding availability, along with routine program data collection.

The monitoring and evaluation expectations were concrete and wide-ranging. Applicants were encouraged to track descriptive community and system information (including how justice processes work locally), characteristics of eligible offenders, and details on who participates (both Core Members and volunteers). Outcome areas of interest included recidivism events and their resolutions (new sexual, violent, or other charges and returns to prison), changes in criminogenic behavior and needs (such as pro-criminal attitudes, antisocial behavior, substance use, and engagement in sex offender treatment or behavioral health services), and positive behavioral change (movement toward prosocial attitudes and actions). The notice also emphasized measuring community-level impacts, including effects on victims and the broader community, such as awareness of sexual offending dynamics, participation in healing processes, community engagement, prevention of sexual violence, and victim support. Cost effectiveness was included as another outcome area of interest, reflecting the program’s dual focus on public safety and practical implementation.

The final deliverable for each funded site was a report capturing what was built and what was learned. That report was expected to document cultural adaptations made to fit the specific tribal nation, the number and types of volunteers trained, and detailed offender profiles including demographics, risk/needs assessment information, treatment received, and any adjunct supervision supports. It also needed to describe how often volunteers interacted with Core Members and Outer Circle professionals, provide qualitative detail about the nature of those contacts, and present any available outcome data aligned with the monitoring areas above. In short, the grant was not only about starting COSA in tribal communities, but also about producing usable, field-relevant documentation on implementation choices, operational realities, and early indicators of effectiveness.

Administratively, this was a discretionary DOJ grant under CFDA 16.203 (Promoting Evidence Integration in Sex Offender Management Discretionary Grant Program). The opportunity anticipated making 2 awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $500,000 and an award ceiling of $250,000 (award floor listed as $10,000). There was no cost sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility was limited to federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The solicitation was posted March 17, 2015, and closed May 18, 2015, with an archive date of June 17, 2015. The listed program contact was Faith Baker, Associate Director at DOJ SMART Office (202-305-2586, faith.baker@usdoj.gov), and additional materials were referenced through SMART’s published announcement link.

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