Dear Ms. Kyla Hope:
I wish to be sent back to the Alaskan island that was supposed to be my banishment sentence.
My name is Cole Mathews. I am a 15 year old boy that is from the city of Minneapolis and was
in custody for my violent behavior towards my fellow classmate. I was offered circle justice by
my probation officer Mr. Garvey. Which I accepted, but a few unfortunate events caused me to
be sent off the island.
During my banishment I have done a few actions which were influenced by my anger problems.
On the first day of arrival I planned to escape this island which is why I had burnt the shelter and
supplies I had been given to survive and to heal on the island. But when I tried to escape the
island my mind was clouded by anger which prevented me from thinking rationally and failed to
escape by swimming. Then as I started to think I noticed the wave patterns of the sea and was
planning another escape, but during that time a spirit bear which one of the Tlingit elders named
“Edwin” told me about appeared. Due to my anger I have tried to attack and kill the spirit bear
which ended up badly. I had life threatening injuries that caused me to be transported off the
island to a professional medical hospital.
I would like to return to my banishment island and finish my sentence. I know I can no longer be
trusted by everyone in circle justice but hear me out. Ever since that spirit bear attack I have been
opened to a new world. I have learnt the beauty of this world and what It has to offer. I have felt
pain and I have felt loneliness, the fear of being forgotten or unloved. The feeling of being
powerless and helpless. The island has taught me to be truthful and to be thankful. To be true to
myself and others. I simply cannot convince everyone that I have changed. Which is why I am
writing this letter to you for help. In return any violent or unacceptable behavior may result in an
instant jail sentence. I wish to help other people in return for my crimes. I want to be able to help
other people with similar problems like me and help them with their problems. But the only way
I would be able to do any of this is to return to my banishment sentence and finish it so I can
become a better person.
If you want to ask me any questions or have any concerns, please feel free to contact me at 780555-7899. I realized that this letter can only contain a limited amount of information about my
thoughts and emotions towards this matter. I would be very grateful if you could call me back so
I can tell you more about myself, and how I have changed.
Sincerely,
Cole Matthews