Winnebago Wellness Court

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 Winnebago Tribal Court seeks funding to implement a wellness court. The goals and objectives of the wellness court are to reduce the number of juvenile offenders who are processed through the Tribal court. The objective will be to reduce the number of juveniles in the traditional court system by 20% or 90 cases per year. The implementation of wellness court would give an alternative to young first time offenders with relatively minor offenses. This would be an opportunity for them to reform, learn about their culture and become a more productive member of society. The primary partner is the Winnebago Tribal Court; other key partners include the Winnebago Public Schools, bringing educational and monitoring components to the process and will be instrumental in the assignment of family tree and related projects; the Child and Family Services, providing typical services to tribal members; and the Winnebago Police Department, implementing the concept of community oriented policing strategies with the ultimate goal of reducing crime. Through their presence in the community, they can establish relationships with the youth ideally prior to the commission of any crime or the kids getting into trouble. It is anticipated that through the implementation of this program that the number of violations reported to the police department as well as the number of cases entering the court system can be reduced. Court records will tabulate the level of juveniles getting into trouble repeatedly and this information will reflect on the overall success of the program.
CA/NCF