What drives me to pursue this Fellowship is the belief that effective reintegration, grounded in both support and accountability, is essential to reducing recidivism and enhancing community wellbeing. When people leave custody facing barriers to reintegration and lacking capacity or opportunity to meet their needs in prosocial ways, there is a risk they will re-engage in behaviours, relationships and environments associated with offending that previously met those needs. This is particularly relevant to extremism-related offending, where identity, purpose and connection can become intertwined with offending.
I was drawn to OARS Community Transitions (OARS CT) during my undergraduate degree in Justice and Society, where I developed an interest in restorative justice. Six years ago, I completed my Master of Social Work placement at OARS CT, learned about Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) and participated in a Circle as a volunteer.
From that first Circle, I became passionate about CoSA. I saw volunteers engage in challenging conversations about accountability, risk and practical steps to support safe reintegration.
I continued my involvement with CoSA through my work at OARS CT and now, as General Manager of Specialised Client Services, I oversee CoSA and remain committed to promoting and advocating for the model.
Throughout my time at OARS CT, I have also worked with men and boys charged with and convicted of extremism-related offending. I have seen significant expansion in policing, legislation, intelligence and monitoring responses to extremism, while post-release reintegration and needs-based interventions supporting long-term desistance have not developed concurrently. I have seen first-hand the barriers, unmet needs and reintegration challenges faced by this cohort.
My hope is that this Fellowship can support the expansion of CoSA as a reintegration model for extremism in Australia while contributing to an international community of practitioners working to strengthen community safety and wellbeing.
Project
The Donald Mackay Churchill Fellowship to investigate CoSA as a reintegration model for persons convicted of extremism-related offences
Peter Christensen
Contact Fellow
This contact form allows you to contact a Fellow about their Fellowship research. It’s a great opportunity for you to find out more about their findings and make connections. Please note, that only messages related to these purposes will be shared with a Fellow.