One young man on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation in Minnesota who went through the circle process is now trying to pull his friends away from their self-destructive behaviors. He has become a member of their Community Justice Committee and trains other communities in Circles. Pranis says Circles have many advantages over traditional justice systems. They allow for real interpersonal communication with the offender about the pain and fear felt by the community and they concretely enforce community norms. Communities no longer feel helpless.
Circles can address deep underlying issues in the community.
And by focusing on the connection between the community's well being and that of every member, Circles deliberately increase the well being of the offender. In his 15 years as a trial lawyer, Kevin O'Keefe always felt the ordinary citizen suddenly faced with the need for legal representation had few places to turn in order to make an educated choice of lawyer. So out of his midwestern law office, O'Keefe has created an interactive web site with the goal of educating the layperson in the world of law. In my mind there is no good way to find lawyers unless you have a medium to educate yourself. If people can sell candy over the Internet, we ought to be able to sell justice.