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Meth Use on Navajo Land Brings Call for Tribal Action There are no laws on the books of the Navajo reservation to criminalize the sale, possession or manufacture of methamphetamine on the reservation lands and officials fear an explosion of the drug’s use. ++++++++++ Indian Child Welfare Resources - The National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning provides links to a variety of useful documents that include The Indian Child Welfare Act: A Family’s Guide, a brochure that answers questions about ICWA in jargon-free language. . American Indians on Reservations: A Databook of Socioeconomic Change Between The 1990 and 2000 Censuses - The Harvard project on American Indian Economic Development in this report says that data on 15 measures ranging from income and poverty to employment and housing conditions indicate that rapid economic development is taking place among gaming and non-gaming tribes alike. The report says per capita Indian income rose by about one-third, family poverty rates dropped by 7-10 %, and plumbing increased markedly in both gaming and non-gaming areas. 16 page pdf file. First Peoples Child & Family Review – New online journal on innovation and best practices related to child welfare among the aboriginal people of Canada. ++++++++++ Weed and Seed InSites Web Pages The Office of Justice programs Community Capacity Development Office has a number of pages on its InSites web pages of interest to readers. InSites was a hard copy publication. It is now available electronically Here are two: American Indian/Alaska Native Page – Information about programs, publications, training, projects, research on Native American issues. See link to Tribal Justice Today, a newsletter for tribal justice systems and to the American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Web Site. Prevention Page – On this page look at “What Works in Delinquency Prevention.” ++++++++++ Risk & Protective Factors for Substance Use Among American Indian or Alaska Native Youth SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug use and Health combined data from 2002 and 2003 to examine three categories of risk factors for substance use among American Indian and Alaska Native Youth. One of the results of that survey appears below: American Indian or Alaska Native youths were more likely than other youths:  | to perceive moderate to no risk associated with substance use, | | to perceive their parents as not strongly disapproving of their substance use, and | | to believe that all or most of the students in their school get drunk at least once a week. |
+++++++++ American Indian & Alaska Native Affairs Desk at OJP/DOJ The American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Affairs Desk has been established at the Office of Justice Programs in the Department of Justice to enhance access to information by Federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes regarding funding opportunities, training and technical assistance, and other relevant information. The link above will take you to this Internet page with news of $21 million in awards to assist tribal communities with law enforcement and justice system improvements. ++++++++++ National Indian Youth Leadership Project – Various programs combine outdoor activities with American Indian cultural practices. | Project Venture focuses on youth team-building, problem solving, communication and cooperation through games and activities. | | Walking in Beauty is a youth development program tailored for Navajo adolescent girls. |
NIYLP became the first Native American program to be selected as a nationally-recognized model program by CSAP in early 2004. ++++++++++ Restorative Practices of Native American, First Nation and Other Indigenous People of North America : Part Two This is the second in a series of articles about restorative justice among Native Americans, First Nation and other indigenous people of North America . It is a broad thematic overview of the subject that relates restorative justice to the native worldview with its connection between justice and spirituality. Harmony and balance are essential to both. See Part One in the Restorative Justice section of the Brevity Subject Library. ++++++++++ Restorative Justice Practices of Native American, First Nation and Other Indigenous People of North America : Part One This is part one of a new series of articles about restorative justice practices of Native American, First Nation and other indigenous people of North America. This first segment includes interviews with three justice practitioners of the southwest United States, the Honorable Robert Yazzie, chief justice emeritus of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court; Judge Joseph Flies-Away of the Hualapai Nation; and James Zion, formerly solicitor to the Navajo Nation Courts and currently domestic abuse commissioner at Crownpoint, New Mexico, Family Court. ++++++++++ Tribal Court Administrator Information and Materials The National American Indian Court Judges Association web site includes this page of information relevant to the needs of the tribal court administrator. It includes benchbooks on civil and tribal law, a code of ethics for clerks, criminal law and procedure, training manuals for clerks, and a list of resources and links. ++++++++++ Spring 2004 issue of The Judges’ Page Newsletter-- ICWA Issues Click on the link above to read a series of articles about ICWA: implementation, ethics and ICWA, the Zuni Tribal Court, and a series of internet links to ICWA-related sites on the internet. The Judges’ Page is a newsletter published by NCJFCJ and the National CASA Association for judges who hear child welfare cases. If you are a judge, there is a special section of the newsletter reserved for you. ++++++++++ Youth Gangs in Indian Country This new Juvenile Justice Bulletin describes the nature and makeup of youth gangs in Indian country. The Bulletin presents data regarding the presence and consequences of youth gang activity in Indian country and provides an overview of programmatic responses to the problem. The authors propose proven prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies to address this problem. 16 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Native American Programs on Child Abuse and Neglect The Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Oklahoma has several projects that are specific to the needs of Native Americans. They include: | Project Making Medicine - a national training program for mental health professionals from tribal and Indian Health Services agencies in the prevention and treatment of child abuse. | | Native American Topic-Specific Monograph Series – A series of booklets to assist individuals in understanding issues affecting Native communities. The booklets address the full range of issues in child abuse and neglect. | | Cross Cultural Training for Federal Criminal Justice Personnel – a curriculum designed for Federal criminal justice personnel working in Indian Country. | | Training and Technical Assistance for Prevention of Domestic Violence in Indian Country - CCAN provides administrative oversight for a consultant to provide on-site training in the prevention of domestic violence. |
You may also want to look at the site of the Native American Prevention Research Center at the University of Oklahoma. ++++++++++ Health Advice for Native American Women The Indigenous Women’s Health Book, Within the Sacred Circle, is a compendium of detailed guidance on everything from contraception to domestic violence to traditional herbal remedies. Written by Native American women and published last year, the book is headed for a second printing. The goal of the book’s authors is to provide information so women have it at their fingertips and to help build advocacy skills. In this way Native American women will no longer be passive players when in medical care. To order, and more about the book +++++++++++ Washington State Indians Banish Troublemakers The Lummi tribe has turned to banishment, seeking to bar five young men in jail and another recently released. Tribal leaders estimate that at least 500 tribal members on the reservation are addicted to painkillers or heroin and scores of others to alcohol. A growing number of tribes around the country, grappling with a rise in drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, poverty and violence, have used banishment in varying forms in the last decade. ++++++++++ Gangs in Indian Country 2000 Survey of Youth Gangs in Indian Country – OJJDP Fact Sheet from the National Youth Gang Center . Three pages. Pdf file. Click here to see the entire OJJDP Youth Gang Series. Research on Youth Gangs in Indian Country – Review of research, study of Navaho youth, and discussion of new in-depth study in progress from the Center for Delinquency and Crime Policy Studies at California State University at Sacramento . +++++++++ A Place Where Children Die A special series of reports in The Oregonian examines the deaths of reservation children and teenagers who have died since 1990. The Oregonian has published a five part series with sidebar articles and commentary on the staggering loss of 58 children in a community of 3,800. Warm Springs Reservation children die at a rate more than three times that of the rest of Oregon and nearly twice that of other Native American children. Many of the deaths were traced to persistent failures by tribal leaders, parents and others to take basic steps to protect children – seat belts and child safety seats, for example, are widely ignored. For anyone with an interest in Native American issues, particularly the issues of Native American children, the series is well worth taking the time to read. The complete series is about an inch thick when printed so I’ll make you the same offer I’ve made before on series of this type. Send me your mailing address via email, tell me you want a copy of A Place Where Children Die, and I’ll send you one in the mail. I can’t make any guarantees that you’ll receive it before the first of the year because of the holiday season. ++++++++++ Minnesota Tribal Guardian ad Litem Program The Sovereign Nations Cultural Preservation Center, Inc. is working to establish the Minnesota Tribal Guardian ad Litem Program to recruit more Native guardians who could then be appointed by judges to serve as advocates for young victims of neglect and abuse. SNCPC believes that a common background would improve the effectiveness of guardians and help influence the Native child’s final placement. Minnesota currently has 16 Native guardians to meet the needs of 5,000 Native children in the judicial system. ++++++++++ Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts: The Key Components This publication from the Bureau of Justice Assistance describes the 10 components of Tribal Healing to Wellness Drug Courts, and follows with recommended practices that provide guidance for implementing each component. The first component is: Tribal healing to Wellness Courts bring together community-healing resources with the tribal justice process using a team approach to achieve the physical and spiritual healing of the participant and the well-being of the community. Each component is followed by a list of recommended practices ranging from logistical matters to cultural and holistic approaches. While not specifically juvenile-related, this manual provides information useable in juvenile settings. About 35 pages in length. Downloadable pdf file. ++++++++++ Resources and Information About Native American Youth From Building Blocks for Youth: From the Coalition for Juvenile Justice: From a variety of resources: ++++++++++ OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Initiatives - This new Juvenile Justice Bulletin describes the efforts of OJJDP to assist tribal communities. It includes descriptions of OJ’s initiatives, current projects, and research and evaluation programs. 8 page pdf file. OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Program Publications – Includes fact sheets, publications of all sorts related to Native Americans nationally. 3 pg. downloadable. ++++++++++ OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Program Grants – Applications due May 15 TYP programs support and enhance tribal efforts to prevent and control delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system for American Indian/Alaska Native youth. Applications will be accepted only from federally recognized tribes. OJJDP has scheduled five audio conference calls to assistant applicants. See details at the site. ++++++++++ Tribal Court Casa Project This page from the national CASA association web site includes a number of downloadable documents of interest. Readers will find reports on starting a Tribal Court CASA program, on ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act), brochures, and articles. ++++++++++ Tribal Law and Policy Institute - This site provides education, research, and technical assistance programs to promote the enhancement of justice in Indian country. Seeks to share and develop cost-effective resources to meet the individual needs of communities. Special projects: Tribal Court CASA, HUD Tribal legal Code Program, Hopi Appellate Program, and Tribal Drug Courts. Training and Technical Assistance services include on-site training, tribal court development, tribal court review services, tribal code drafting and revision, grant and proposal writing, and tribal court web site development. National American Indian Court Judges Association - Web site. This is a national voluntary association of tribal court judges devoted to the support of American Indian and Alaska Native justice systems. See the Violence Against Indian Women Tribal Code Project here. National Tribal Justice Resource Center - A project of the National American Indian Court Judges Association, this is a very comprehensive site. Below find some of the services the NTJRC offers: NTJRC Services - Includes the following, a toll-free hotline, on site technical assistance and evaluation, tribal justice system mentor project, searchable databases, events calendar. Other Resources - From federal agencies, through ICWA, publications, libraries, associations, legal services, drug courts. Tribal Court Talking Circle - developed to encourage an online dialogue for tribal justice system personnel and the general public. Information exchange, questions, comments. Publications - Benchbooks, civil law, ethics, criminal court procedures, code of judicial conduct for Indian Court Judges.
American Indian Policy Center - The mission of this web site is to provide accurate information about the legal and political history of American Indian nations and the contemporary situation for American Indians. Among the resources at this site: Soverignty Primer - Describes the unique relationship between the United States and the American Indian Tribes and their "nation-within-a-nation" status: treaties, federal laws, legal precedents.
Bureau of Indian Affairs - Includes links to six regional BIA web sites, information about American Indians and Alaska Natives, tribal governments and inter-tribal organizations, Indian history and culture. Department of Justice Resources - There are many more. The publications below are from OJJDP. United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc - Two page Youth in Action fact sheet describes a national network organization promoting personal development ,citizenship, and leadership among American Indian/Alaska Native youth. Downloadable. OJJDP’s Program of Research for Tribal Youth - Describes the programs and types of assistance OJJDP offers to American Indian tribal groups. Two pages, downloadable. Juvenile Justice Journal, Volume VII, No. 2 - American Indian Youth Issue - Entire issue devoted to American Indian youth. 40 pages, downloadable.
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