Week One - Touching Spirit Bear

In the book, Cole decides to apply for Circle Justice. From the explanations in the book, we know that it is “a healing form of justice practiced by native cultures for thousands of years”. We also know from Garvey hat “you don’t have to be Native American or First Nation. Anybody can love, forgive, and heal”.

The part of Circle Justice that goes on in the book is called Sentencing Circles. It is a process which involves the community along with all other involved peoples who then come to a consensus on a good sentencing plan that addresses the concerns of all people involved. While in the circle, people can speak ‘freely’ while trying to figure out the steps needed to help heal all peoples affected and to prevent future happenings of crimes. As we have seen in the book, these Circles involve a multi-step process made up of: “(1) application of the offender in the circle process; (2) a healing circle for the victim; (3) a healing circle for the offender; (4) a sentencing circle to develop consensus on the elements of a sentencing plan; and (5) follow-up circles to monitor the progress of the offender.” We see the beginning of this process in the first two chapters of the book when Cole applies to the Circle; although he has to wait and grows impatient for a response.

I found one article which talks about a sentencing in Minnesota which involves Circle Sentencing, it says “faced with persistent crimes ranging from drug dealing to vandalism, the communities are pioneering a return to ancient tribal customs that bring people together to unearth the root causes of misconduct…it’s called Circle Sentencing”. It also says that once they (the justice members) choose a sentence, circle members stay involved with – and even mentor – the offender to ensure that they stay with their ‘sentence’. The article also says “it demands real behavior change, not just sitting in a cell and watching tv”. We see this in the book as well; Cole had been living in that tiny cell and sitting around doing nothing but watching tv and now he is out and having to fend for himself and keep himself alive. The Circle Justice concept makes it so that convicted peoples can choose to heal themselves and the community if they want to. It helps these people to feel that they can give back, if only infinitesimally, to the people who have to pay for their actions.


Works Cited:Indian Custom. 1999. MN homepage. 4 Jun 1999<http://freenet.msp.mn.us/~fholson/circles-mn/circ-stb.htm> Circle Justice. 2002. National Tribal Justice Resource Center. 2 May 2008http://www.tribalresourcecenter.org/programs/messageboard/messagedetails.asp?36