Circle Justice In Touching Spirit Bear

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Circle Justice vs Jail “Circle Justice gives certain clients a second chance to get rid of all the pain, if so, left inside of them.” Daquan Gleason. Circle Justice provides more opportunities for Cole Matthews, the main character in the novel Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen. Rather than going to jail, Cole would get a better chance at a successful future going back to the isolated Alaskan island. Cole should continue Circle Justice and go back to the island because he needs to finish his sentence, he has signs of change, and he has a better chance at success. The first reason I believe Cole should go back to the island is because he should finish out his banishment sentence. Matthews’ sentence was originally one year on an Alaskan …show more content…
Life is beautiful in Cole’s eyes now that he has experienced nature first hand on the island. When the birds were killed by the fallen tree, Cole felt sympathy towards the baby sparrows. Yet earlier in the book, he would’ve shown anger towards them because they got attention from their mother. The final reason I believe Cole should return to the island is because he has a better chance at success. Since Circle Justice was introduced as an option, juvenile arrest rates have dropped almost 45%. And about 70% of the teens in Circle Justice, stayed out of trouble and no longer had run-ins with the law. Statistics say that Cole would have a better chance at changing if he returned to the island to finish out his sentence. In addition, the island is isolated and away from contact to other people who could harm Cole and be harmed by him. Although I feel that Cole would be better off going back to the Alaskan island, I can see where some people may think Cole should be put in jail. Many people believe that because Cole Matthews broke the contract with The Circle, he doesn’t deserve a second chance on the island. If the goal is to see change in his behavior, then Circle Justice will be the more successful
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