Prevent and Control Delinquency and Improve the Juvenile Justice System

Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. launched a Department-wide initiative on public safety and victim services in Tribal communities. As part of this effort, Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership conducted a series of meetings across the country addressing violent crime in Tribal communities. As a result, DOJ developed the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, combining DOJ's existing Tribal government-specific competitive solicitations into one, and thus requiring only one application from each Tribe or Tribal consortium. This approach provides federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal consortia the opportunity to develop a comprehensive approach to public safety and victimization issues. This award was selected under Purpose Area #8, Prevent and control delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system (OJJDP-Tribal Youth Program - TYP), CFDA #16.731, authorized under the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2010, Division B, Title II, Public Law 111-117, 123 Stat. 3122, 3134.

The Mentasta Traditional Council(MTC)seeks to implement a culturally appropriate primary prevention program to reduce delinquent behaviors with K-12 youth in Mentasta Lake, Alaska. This program will provide a character education curriculum which will be modified to incorporate cultural values. The program will target behaviors that are identified through data collection tools which will be used to measure reductions in target behaviors. The curriculum will be taught in school to introduce, discuss, and apply cultural values to daily living. After-school activities will be provided to reinforce the values by practicing behaviors that express those values. Outreach services will encourage parental participation in reinforcing these values at home. The program will have activities that will continue outside of the classroom during summer months. Data collection will be used to measure reductions in targeted behaviors and to modify curriculum and activities as needed. This program will assist the community in addressing community and victim safety and crime, by reducing delinquent and pre-delinquent behaviors among youth. MTC will collaborate with the Cheeshna Tribal Council in developing the curriculum and activities; the Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium's Tribal Justice Coordinator to assists State and Tribal State Courts by incorporating primary prevention approach to addressing delinquent behavior; and the Mentasta School teachers to assist in identifying and target behaviors, collecting data and teaching curriculum. CA/NCF