San Carlos Detention/Rehabilitation Center Aftercare Project to Reduce Recidivism for High-Risk Juvenile Offenders

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 #10, Develop new demonstration projects on violence prevention and rehabilitation (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 San Carlos Apache Tribe's (SCAT) Detention/Rehabilitation Center (DRC) seeks to reduce the incidence of juvenile crime and delinquency on the reservation. The primary outcome of the proposed project is to decrease the rate of juvenile recidivism on the San Carlos Apache Reservation with a crucial focus on "high-risk" juvenile offenders. The program targets "high-risk" youth making the transition from the Tribe's DRC. The DRC has implemented an Ndee Nalwodi Aftercare Program for high risk youth and seeks to provide follow-up and continuity to those "high-risk" juveniles once released from detention/rehabilitation. The chief course of action is an intensive aftercare program (IAP) consisting of 3 over-lapping segments; 1) pre-release treatment and preparatory planning during incarceration; 2) structured transition involving participation of institutional and aftercare staff prior to and following community re-entry; and 3) long term reintegration activities that ensure adequate service delivery and level of necessary control. Implementation activities to address this, include coordination of individual case planning that incorporates a holistic perspective during incarceration, transition, and discharge from detention, to include the White Bison Wellbriety Program and Bead Therapy whereby students partake in talking circles, beading artwork, and gender based sweat lodges; and provisions for follow-up care upon discharge from detention and tracking until program completion, which will key to evaluating the effectiveness of this program.
CA/NCF