Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Peer Support Methods topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Recovery circles at the heart of CPO program: confidentiality, covenant and peer facilitation
Summary
CPO volunteers described circle format features—confidentiality, a covenant, and peer examples—that support sharing and build recovery skills in short, repeatable modules inside prisons.
The Concord Prison Outreach recovery circles use a circle format designed to reduce stigma and encourage disclosure through confidentiality and a group covenant, volunteers said.
"We have a covenant," said Liz Rust, describing ground rules established in the circles. She and Sam Williams explained that the circle format emphasizes no‑judgment processing, confidentiality, and peer modeling: volunteers who have been through incarceration and maintained recovery lead by example and encourage others to practice new behaviors over time.
Hosts argued that the combination of structured curriculum and peer testimony builds vocabulary for recovery and gives participants concrete language to use in groups and after release. They emphasized the program is an educational approach, not a clinical treatment, and recommended pairing circle work with clinical services when appropriate.
