Quick Write Write one or two paragraphs answering all the questions below. What is justice? Who determines that someone has been punished for committing a crime? Is punishment or rehabilitation more important? Is putting people in jail for crimes they committed effective? Can people really forgive? Can people really change?

Background Cole Matthews has been in trouble all of his life, but when he goes too far and beats a classmate within an inch of his life, he has to pay for his crime. Instead of being sent to jail, he chooses to participate in an alternative justice system based on Native American Circle Justice. Does he really want to change or is this a way to avoid jail and facing his own problems?

Aboriginal Laws Aboriginal cultures share a belief that people must live in respectful harmonious relationships with Nature, with one another and with themselves. The relationships are governed by what are understood as laws, which are gifts from the Creator. The laws are fundamentally spiritual, imbuing all aspects of life. As fundamental as this perspective may be, each Aboriginal culture expresses it in its unique ways, with its own practices, products and knowledge. Voices of the Elders, June 2000, Western Canadian Protocol Framework for Aboriginal Language and Culture Programs

Circle Justice The sentencing circle is a method of dealing with members of the community that have broken the law. A sentencing circle is conducted after the individual has been in the present western justice system and found guilty or if the accused has accepted guilt and is willing to assume their responsibility. This sentencing method encourages the offender and the community to accept responsibility and acknowledges the harm they have done to society and to victims. A sentencing circle's aim is to shift the process of sentencing from punishment to rehabilitation and responsibility. It provides a new alternative for courts to incarceration. The sentencing circle proves an opportunity to start the healing process for both the offender and the victim. The offender is presented with the impact of their actions in front of respected community members, elders, peers, family, the victim and their family, stimulating an opportunity for real change.